Higher Education There Have Been Many Significant

¶ … Higher Education

There have been many significant historical events that have affected the higher education system in the United States. There is not space to address them all but three of the most important will be addressed here, in an effort to show how much higher education has changed and the types of adjustments it has gone through over time. The 1947 Truman Commission Report, the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling, and the 1972 Reauthorization of Higher Education Act are the three events that have been selected because they all represent major steps in the way education was offered, who could participate in it, and the types of higher education opportunities that were provided to various sectors of the population. There are, by far, not the only ways in which higher education has been changed through the years. However, they are representative of the kinds of progress that has been made in society as a whole.

In 1947, the Truman Commission Report was created. It was significant because it called for community colleges that would be public (Forest & Kinser, 2002). The plan was to create an entire network of them across the country. They would be free, or would charge a very low tuition for attendance. That would depend on the school, what it offered, and other factors taken into consideration. Some schools would need to charge tuition simply because of the supplies and equipment required for their course offerings. In other schools with different types of offerings and classes, charging tuition would not be necessary. The goal was for these community colleges to be more than just learning institutions. They were also to be cultural centers for the surrounding community and emphasis civic duty and responsibility (Forest & Kinser, 2002). These colleges would serve the people of the area in which they were located by providing them with comprehensive program offerings and a place to gather so that community spirit could be fostered.

The community college system in the United States war born from The Truman Commission Report. All community colleges today charge tuition, and not everyone would agree that they are "cultural centers" or that they emphasize civic responsibilities, but they are certainly less expensive than attending a large university, and most of their credits can be transferred to a university at a later date. That makes them ideal for people who want to attend college but do not have a lot of money, or who cannot travel far away from where they live to go to school (Ewell, 1999). Higher education was forever changed by the community college system in many ways. It was not too many more years after The Truman Commission Report before another change would once again adjust the higher education landscape, and that change came about in a way that was completely different from Truman's changes.

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the now-iconic Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case (Ewell, 1999). Until that ruling, "separate but equal" was the order of the day. Blacks went to black schools and white went to white schools. Segregation was just something that was part of society, and even though there was supposed to be equality among the schools that was often not the case. Many people think that Brown only changed public schools in the K-12 arena, but it also affected higher education. Colleges and universities (unless they are operated privately) are all public education, and because of that the Supreme Court ruling affected them just as strongly as it affected the K-12 schools (Ewell, 1999). At first there was much debate - and more than a little anger - at some schools where the desire was to keep people segregated by color. In time that faded, and a much more equal footing was established in all of the colleges and universities throughout the United States. Mixing blacks and whites in the higher educational system changed things forever, and brought much more equality to the schools that would have otherwise remained segregated.

The final change discussed here is the 1972 Reauthorization of Higher Education Act. Most specifically, the importance lies with Title IX of that Act, which states that there can be no discrimination based on marital and/or parental status or gender. That requirement applies to admission to a higher education institution, financial aid, insurance and health benefits, counseling services, guidance in finding a career, on-campus housing, the courses that a person wishes to take, and any educational activities as well as intramural, scholastic, club, and intercollegiate athletics (Forest & Kinser, 2002). The Pell Grant (which was originally called the Basic Equal Opportunity Grant until its name was changed in 1980) was also included in the Act. Providing education for those who were disadvantaged was the main goal of the Act, as it allowed more people than ever before to attend a higher educational institution and realize their dream of getting a good education that could help them move forward in life and realize the success they had hoped to acquire (Forest & Kinser, 2002).