Women's College Coalition

Women's colleges were founded on progressive assumptions about inclusion and empowerment.  But they were also founded for specific beneficiaries: women.  But who counts as a woman? And is it possible for colleges to draw that line without redefining their missions of tolerance?

It makes a difference when you study at a college that empowers women, especially in a gendered world in which people still believe that they can’t identify qualified women across every field.

In the face of mounting financial challenges, some small colleges are hoping that -- together -- they can be as innovative in the online education space as the big guys.

The Council of Independent Colleges and the Teagle Foundation, which supports undergraduate education in arts and sciences, are among some of the organizations pushing for a liberal arts approach to online or hybrid education through recent initiatives that invite small colleges to work together and learn from one another.

Spelman College, a historically black liberal arts college for women, celebrates with President Beverly Tatum, who received one of four 2013 Academic Leadership Awards from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Established in 2005, the award honors university presidents who are resourceful administrators and who also exhibit an avid interest in the liberal arts. Other award winners were Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University; John Hennessy, president of Stanford University; and Richard Brodhead, president of Duke University.
Hear President Tatum’s interview on 12/9 on the PBS NewsHour.