The 81 women who entered the U.S. Naval Academy in the summer of 1976 were breaking precedent and attempting to function in a male ethos with virtually no female role models. A central purpose of this study was to determine how various degrees of contact between male and female midshipmen would affect male attitudes. Plebes were administered two…

Nannerl Overhouser Keohane, one of a new breed of women presidents of women's colleges, is strongly committed to feminist scholarship and is also working to prepare Wellesley's graduates for the technology of the future. The role of minority students at Wellesley is discussed. (MLW)

The Alverno College faculty reports on its development and use of assessment (rather than testing) to elicit, diagnose, and certify student abilities as part of its outcome-centered approach to liberal education. Assessment is defined as a more complete challenge to both the process and the content of a student's learning, achieving a more…

Three recent books ("In the Company of Women,""Alma Mater," and "Women in College") focus on very different but interrelated topics: the general history of women in higher education in America, the history of women's colleges, and the shaping of women's identities through higher education. (MSE)

Selective single-sex colleges provide a more favorable environment than comparable coeducational institutions for influencing White, middle-class, academically capable undergraduates of both sexes to disregard conventional occupational prescriptions based on gender. Sexually segregated academic settings are instrumental in reducing male-female…

Reviews the history of Black women's higher education and focuses on three issues: (1) coeducation versus single sex institutions, (2) curricular needs, and (3) psycho-social needs of Black women. Cites examples from two major Black women's colleges. (KH)

The results of this longitudinal study support the hypothesis that, after controlling for background characteristics, women's colleges relate positively to a variety of measures of student satisfaction, perceived changes in skills and abilities, and educational aspirations and educational attainment. Contact with the faculty and administration is…

The creation and development of 10 women's colleges are discussed: Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Wellesley, Smith, Radcliffe, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard (the Seven Sisters colleges), and Sarah Lawrence, Bennington, and Scripps. Consideration is given to: how each of these colleges offered to women an education equal to that offered by the best men's…

The effect of an ability-based curriculum on student development was studied at Alverno College, a liberal arts women's college. Data were obtained from 990 participants representing students, alumnae, and working professionals who were not Alverno students. Sixteen research instruments were administered to a sample of 200 students over their 4…

Wheaton College, a small liberal arts college for women, has begun integrating women's experiences into the mainstream of learning, to bring a gender-balanced perspective to the traditional liberal arts. A project funded by a grant from the Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education is described. (MLW)

This booklet helps institutions understand the restoration of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and changes resulting from the Civil Rights Restoration Act. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in federally assisted education programs. A 1984 ruling held that Title IX covers only programs or activities funded with federal money. In…

The use of mentoring and development portfolio/transcript programs for college students is considered. The development portfolio enables students to document activities they selected to achieve their development goals, and may involve journal keeping, logging of courses and activities, and individualized growth projects. Development transcripts…

This book examines the many popular representations of student life at women's colleges produced in the United States during the Progressive Era. According to the book, in hundreds of college novels, newspaper accounts, popular periodical essays, and scientific treatises, the "college woman" was described and defined in a period when…

Physical education today is a discipline defined by men and seen largely as a male domain in which women are regarded as physically inferior. The dominant male ideology has established the physical standards for women which has the effect of preventing most women from feeling good about their bodies. With the recent rapid growth of women's…

A review of changes at the U.S. Air Force Academy since women entered as cadets in 1976 focuses on male student attitudes and male and female performance. It is found that in general women are succeeding well at the institution, competing favorably with men in academics, military training, and athletics. Overall attrition rates for women in the…