The World Transformed: A Golden Age for American Universities, 1945–1970

Abstract

In the years following World War II, academic leaders in Massachusetts participated in a national debate about the social role of higher education in the era that lay ahead. They also experienced the beginnings of a period of expansion for universities that would continue, more or less uninterrupted, for twenty-five years. Change in this postwar golden age involved an ongoing interaction between ideas and opportunities: the first concerning the public purposes of higher education; the second promising glory for institutions and advancement for academic interest groups. For most of the period, the dominant view—inside and outside of higher education—was that expansion was improving the academy as well as the country, but the turmoil of the late 1960s raised fundamental doubts about the character of postwar change. Although World War II entailed difficulties for universities, their extensive involvement in the military effort stirred a new awareness of the social importance of academic work. This habit of thought extended into the postwar period, as educators, exhilarated by wartime patriotism, looked for new ways to contribute to social problem solving. As they did so, they exhibited a further effect of their recent experience: a tendency to focus on national concerns—as distinct from regional or local ones—far more intensively than they had done before 1940. The country's agenda was long. The human costs of the war, and the even more-frightening possibility of atomic conflict, made the importance of maintaining peace evident. Europe had precipitated two wars in a generation and now lay in ruins. The United States, suddenly the preeminent power of the globe, would have to pioneer in shaping a stable world order. In some, the nation's new international prominence aroused a sense of urgency about discrimination and inequality at home. More broadly, world leadership implied a need to maintain military and economic power and the technological vitality on which they depended. Many educators believed they had important roles to play in all these contexts—through training leaders, forming attitudes, and advancing knowledge. As one college president put it: “Events... have shaken the complacency of many university communities and compelled educators to... make [their] maximum contribution to a decent, well-ordered, free and peaceful society.”

The Viability of Tuition-Free Community College

“…Bill, and the federal Pell Grant system. Freeland (2007) reported that the number of servicemen who utilized the G.I. Bill within 5 years of the war’s end exceeded the highest estimates by 300%.…”

Executive Management Team Demography and Minority Student Retention: Does Executive Team Diversity Influence the Retention of Minority Students?

“…According to this belief, institutions of higher learning have generally provided an educational product that varies little from college to college (Trow, 1988), with the education service provided being fairly standardized (Goodchild, 1986). Institutions did not respond to the specific needs of students due to consistently high demand for admission (Freeland, 1992). This situation has changed markedly in the United States since the 1940s (Kerr, 1984).…”

Effects of SI administration staffing and support on SI program outcomes in higher education

“…In the mid-20 th century, higher education began to shift towards mass access. There was a massive expansion of college enrollment partially due to the GI bill, which increased veteran access to higher education (Arendale, 2010;Cohen & Kisker, 2010;Freeland, 1997;Thelin, 2011). According to Arendale (2010) and Cohen and Kisker (2010), the dramatic enrollment increase in higher education led to an increase in learning assistance and remedial coursework to prepare students academically.…”

“…The landscape of higher education and learning assistance programs changed dramatically during the period from 1945 to 1970. After World War II, the GI bill provided returning veterans with funds to pursue postsecondary learning, which resulted in booming enrollments (Cohen & Kisker, 2010;Freeland, 1997;Thelin, 2011). This unprecedented public investment in higher education and corresponding high demand for postsecondary offerings necessitated increased utilization of standardized testing for admissions, and because many new enrollees were academically unprepared, there were also high attrition rates in the first and second years (Cohen & Kisker, 2010;Thelin, 2011).…”