Higher education--and continuing education as one arm of that enterprise--is not just an economic engine; it contributes directly and in a multifaceted fashion to the common good. It generates and makes accessible a great deal of the knowledge that drives the economy; it helps develop an understanding of the society and the world for millions of…

The vast changes that crumbled the ivory tower of 1940 were unforseen, unplanned, and largely unintended. Educators did not control developments but were carried along on social and demographic currents: the demands of war, returning veterans, economic growth, the baby boom, Vietnam, campus revolt, economic decline, and changing public support.…

The Servicemen's Readjustment Act, nicknamed the "GI Bill of Rights," influenced a social change in America and its higher education system that could be compared to that caused by the Industrial Revolution. Making college a realistic expectation for many Americans, it also made future generations look upon a college education as an…

The GI Bill is seen as the most revolutionary and radically empowering federal legislation to affect American higher education in the 20th century. The bill gave African American veterans more access to higher education than ever before, at government expense, and helped improve the quality of education at black colleges. (MSE)

The original World War II GI Bill fully subsidized education or job training for 7.8 million veterans, making college a realistic expectation rather than an impossible dream, and enabled millions to move to and develop the suburbs. This caused a true social revolution and fueled the longest economic boom in history. (MSE)

At the outset, few politicians and educators recognized the potential of the GI Bill, calling it unworkable. However, the GI Bill had many positive features and no disadvantages, causing unexpected numbers of veterans to take full advantage of it, creating enrollment and housing surprises for colleges and universities. (MSE)

The three great federal policy initiatives concerning higher education, the land-grant movement of the 1860s, the World War II-era decision to rely on universities for basic and applied research, and the GI Bill of 1944, have affected development of the American system of higher education more than any others. (MSE)

In order to determine the impact of the Veterans Administration (VA) on occupational education, this report examines the VA training programs and the changes that have occurred in them over the years in the larger context of changes in American education. Presented first are brief descriptions of and detailed 1967-1980 enrollment figures for the…