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Morrill Act of 1862
The Morrill Act of 1862 was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. This legislation was ground-breaking as the law, “formulated clearly and definitely the plan of a land grant to each state in the Union for the promotion of education in agriculture and the mechanic arts” (Edmund, J., 1910). With the passage of this law, a major shift in higher education in America began. College would no longer be a place for those well off, but it would be a place for students of all walks of life. -
Education Reform Movement Beginnings
The profile of students had begun to change as a result of the Morrill Land Acts. Students from all walks-of-life had the opportunity to attend colleges where they did not before. Women were seizing the opportunity to attend, even though they could not be awarded an undergraduate degree. The first generation fo women who attended were considered trail-blazer in higher education in that they began planting the first seeds to gain more rights in America, most notably the right to vote. -
Effects of Philanthropy on University Building-1880;s
During the 1880's, many notable wealthy industrialists contributed millions of dollars to the founding and shaping of universities in America. Most notable were John D. Rockefeller and Benjamin Duke. According to Dwight Moody, "This was a cause of supporting higher education through donation" (Thelin, 2011). This was an important event in higher education as it started an era of many people with the means to donate to universities to do so. -
Morrill Act of 1890
The Morrill Land Grant of 1890 was an extension of the first land-grant law of 1862. This second piece of legislation applied mostly to southern states. This was the post-reconstruction era in American History, and racial tensions were still high in the south. This act, “Mandated access to land grant colleges established in the south for Black Americans” (Earl, Baldwin, Gordon, and Guyer, 1996). This was very influential as it granted rights to a minority group. -
Smith-Hughes Act of 1917
First waves of troops were arriving home at the conclusion of WWI. Many were jobless, as a result employment numbers were high in America. This legislation was created to send grant money to colleges, most notably junior colleges, to expand their curriculum to satisfy requirements of a four-year program. This was the dawn of the modern junior college and students to this day still follow the model of transferring to a four-year program after junior college. -
Women's Suffrage and Education 1920's
The pursuit of a higher education by women lead to suffrage, as well as the ability to get an undergraduate degree. This time frame was considered to be the third generation of women that could attend college, and they were noted for being the first to obtain undergraduate degrees. Women sought undergraduate degree as they wanted to, "Think, act, and contribute as adults, not only within their families, but in the larger society” (Solomon, 1986, p.114). -
Federal Financing of Education-The G.I. Bill
The profile of students was becoming more diverse in 1944. This was greatly influenced by the Serviceman's Readjustment Act, or G.I. Bill. This was the first time that the federal government would allocate money to pay for tuition. Troops returning from WWII faced great uncertainity when it came to unemployment. Current President Franklin Roosevelt promoted the G.I. Bill as a means to assimilate troops back into American society. This was the first building block of Federal Financial Aid. -
Higher Education Act of 1965
The 1960's was a period of civil unrest in the United States. Segregation was common-place, and as result, minorities were often discriminated against in their pursuit in higher education. The Higher Education Act of 1965 was created to abolish segregation in education. This act guaranteed federal government loans for minorities to attend college. To combat segregation, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was fully enforced. -
President Johnson's Order 11375 of 1968
President Johnson issued this order to affect not students at college, but faculty. At this time in America, segregation was not just limited to students. It also affected faculty at colleges. This order was important to modern education as it was the first piece of legislation that enforced previous equal opportunity laws. This order mandated that, "every federal contract had to state that potential employees would not be discriminated because of their race" (Cohen and Kisker, 2009, pp.197) -
Title IX
Since the 1870's, women had made many strides in being equal with men in higher education. There was one major area tha women were still not quite equal with men and this was collegiate sports. Title IX mandated that colleges would have to have a higher ratio of women educators compared to men. It also provided that there would be a equal amount of opportunity for women to play sports. Sports were gaining popularity on the college level as they proved to be a spring-board to going pro. -
Sloan Consortium
The Sloan Consortium is founded. This was a foundation that promoted the internet as a means to get an education anywhere at anyplace. This was the first time the internet was viewed as a means for gaining higher education. -
2005
The profile of American college students was diverse as it has ever been. The ability to get a degree online has forever changed the college landscape. Traditional students, students that are younger than 25 and attend brick and mortar colleges, "Account for 20% of the U.S. higher education market" (Folkers, 2005). Online education has become very influential on traditional universities, as many now offer online degree programs in addition to regular programs. -
2 Million Online Learners in America
A study done by Bourne, Harris and Mayadas showed that in 2005 there were 2 million students taking classes online. This number was significant as a decade earlier there were zero. Advances in technology and interest in the internet as a means of getting a degree online are what made this possible.