Women and Higher Education in American History: Essays from the Mount Holyoke College Sesquicentennial Symposia

This collection of 10 essays from the 1987 Mount Holyoke College sesquicentennial symposia contributes importantly, in the variety of topics addressed, to the developing field of women's history. Mount Holyoke is a celebrated pioneer institution of higher education for women, and, in her essay ""The Role of Women's Colleges in the Future,'' Ruth Schmidt, president of Agnes Scott College in Georgia, avers that ``the best respite from a sexist society during a period of discovery and growth'' is the single-sex college, currently on the endangered list. Other contributorscollege presidents and professorsshare a historical perspective, discussing such educational leaders as Lucy Sprague Mitchell and culturally hobbled women of the 19th century like Elizabeth Barrett (later Browning) and Alice James, sister of William and Henry. The little-known history of black women in higher education is illuminated in two articles. The varying viewpoints and diverse outlooks of the participants represent the experience of women in American life and provide material for debate and change. (May)