Liberal Arts Colleges in the Tumultuous 1940s: Institutional Identity and the Challenges of War and Peace
Open Access
- Author:
- Humphrey, Jordan Rebecca
- Graduate Program:
- Higher Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 16, 2010
- Committee Members:
- Roger Lewis Geiger, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Roger Lewis Geiger, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Lisa R Lattuca, Committee Member
Patrick T Terenzini, Committee Member
Nan Elizabeth Woodruff, Committee Member
Marybeth Gasman, Committee Member - Keywords:
- institutional adaptation
World War II
liberal arts colleges
mission change
institutional identity - Abstract:
- This dissertation examines the experiences of four private, liberal arts colleges – Dartmouth College, Earlham College, Franklin & Marshall College, and Swarthmore College – before, during, and after World War II to identify the adaptive policies implemented to meet the challenges that accompanied the war and its aftermath. Identification of these institutional experiences during the war period – as defined in this study as 1939 to 1950 – and the enrollment-driven policies and the processes by which these strategies were implemented also allows for an examination of how this period affected the colleges' short- and long-term institutional identities (i.e., mission, organizational culture, and structure). The four colleges exemplify the effects of the war on student enrollment and the financial condition of liberal arts colleges. The extension of admissions opportunities, the adoption of war-time curricula, and the militarization of campus illustrate a few of the adaptive policies implemented at the institutions during World War II. The experiences of the four colleges also typify the role of institutional identity and the implications of institutional leadership, culture, and mission for decision-making during periods of crisis like World War II and its aftermath. Institutional adaptation during and after the war and the effects of World War II on institutional identity reveals the influence of the war on the transition from pre-war to post-war private, liberal arts college. In addition, analysis of liberal arts colleges during the war period also provides a historical context for understanding issues that continue to affect higher education today such as mission creep, institutional adaptation, and the role of institutional identity in crisis-responsive decision-making.