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2. Two Unique Histories of Coeducation: Catholic and Historically Black Institutions
- Vanderbilt University Press
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22 2 Two Unique Histories of Coeducation Catholic and Historically Black Institutions Susan L. Poulson and Leslie Miller-Bernal In the nineteenth century many white Protestant men in the United States pursued higher education as a means of upward mobility. In contrast, black Americans were barred from most colleges; besides, given the devastating impact of slavery, their first concern was primary and secondary education. Catholic enrollment in institutions of higher education was limited for several reasons: many colleges and universities put quotas on their admission and, as recent immigrants, Catholics often could not afford college tuition.1 Beginning in the 1850s, but primarily after the Civil War, black and white educators established historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) for the important task of “race uplift.” Catholics, too, created an extensive network of colleges and universities in order to preserve the faith and morals of young Catholics as they sought higher education. While the aims of blacks and Catholics were somewhat similar, the two traditions created opposite forms of gender organization. From their beginnings, almost all HBCUs were coeducational, whereas Catholic institutions were almost entirely single-sex and remained so longer than most of their peer institutions. In this chapter we discuss the history of both types of colleges, beginning with Catholic colleges and universities since they appeared on the American educational landscape earlier than HBCUs did. Catholic Higher Education In the past 220 years Catholics have developed an extensive system of higher education in America. Like many other private educational networks, the history of Catholic higher education is filled with struggles to establish institutions under difficult circumstances, with little money, and scarce students and faculty, but strong determination and leadership. The result is a network CoingCoedFinalPages.indd 22 5/26/04 4:53:16 PM Two Unique Histories of Coeducation 23 of approximately 230 institutions that educates 670,000 students, or about 12 percent of all Catholic college students.2 In addition to institution-building, Catholics have had the task of perpetuating and defending the faith while adapting to American culture and modern life. Catholic colleges and universities have played an important part in this mission. In response to forces internal and external to the Church, the content of the curriculum and the nature of piety at Catholic colleges and universities have evolved over time. Gender was a central issue in both institution building and acculturation. Because single-sex religious communities established most Catholic colleges and universities as single-sex institutions, the separate education of men and women was a pervasive feature of Catholic higher education. Historically, coeducation not only contradicted traditional Church teachings about gender roles but was also seen as highly disruptive to the institutional network established by the early twentieth century. However, coeducation did come to Catholic higher education, slowly at first, encountering opposition from conservative critics and ecclesiastic authority. After World War II the pace of change increased. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the virtual collapse of sexual segregation in formerly men’s colleges undermined the gender ideals of traditional Catholicism. This change made Catholic higher education more like other American colleges and universities, reflecting a larger trend toward the acculturation of American Catholicism within the broader society. The Early Period of Catholic Higher Education Although Catholics were some of the earliest settlers in the colonies, they were relatively late in establishing their first college. This can be explained, in part, because the Church’s primary task in early America was missionary service. With an entire continent of non-Christians, the possibilities for propagation of the faith were compelling and received highest priority. In 1789 John Carroll , a prosperous planter from southern Maryland, established Georgetown Academy, now Georgetown University, the first Catholic institution of higher education in America. Carroll had been educated at Catholic schools in France, had briefly entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus, and became the first bishop in the American Catholic church. The most propitious location was Maryland, a refuge for Catholics since its colonial beginnings and the state that had the largest Catholic population.3 In 1791, St. Mary’s Seminary, the first American Catholic seminary, also opened its doors to male students in a converted tavern in Baltimore.4 Georgetown was not only America’s first Catholic college but also its first Jesuit college. St. Ignatius Loyola founded the Society of Jesus in the sixteenth century.5 Dedicated to the reinvigoration and defense of the faith, Jesuits have CoingCoedFinalPages.indd 23 5/26/04...