Women’s colleges still flourishing

By Laura Diamond 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kelsey Shaul had no intention of going to a women’s college.

She had set her sights on Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Emory University or Duke University. But a friend was visiting Agnes Scott College and persuaded Shaul to come along.

They spent the night on the Decatur campus, sat in on classes and talked with students.

“The professors knew all the students by name and everyone was talking and answering questions,” said Shaul, now a junior at Agnes Scott. “Everyone was so supportive. I was hooked.”

Many who enroll in women’s colleges follow a path similar to Shaul’s — they wind up there almost by chance. An encounter with an alum or a suggestion by a guidance counselor steers them to consider a women’s college.

Before top-ranked universities admitted women, women’s colleges were the only option. With all the choices available today, only 3 percent of women say they would consider a single-gender college, according to surveys.

As a result, the number of women’s colleges nationwide has declined drastically.

More than 300 existed in the 1960s, while about 50 remain today, according to data from the Women’s College Coalition. Many went co-ed, some closed.

Georgia has four — Agnes Scott, Brenau University in Gainesville, Spelman College in Atlanta and Wesleyan College in Macon. Only two states, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, have more with six each, according to the coalition.

College leaders in Georgia say they have survived and increased enrollment because of aggressive recruiting, strong academics, support from alumni and the development of new programs.

Still the greatest challenge is getting students to consider a women’s college.

“It is a tough sell because either they’ve never thought of us or they say there is absolutely no way they’d want to be where there are no boys,” said Janixia Reyes, admission counselor for Agnes Scott.

Eight women’s colleges banded together for a forum last month at Pace Academy to dispel some of the myths that surround them.

More than 100 women listened as alumni and admissions officials talked about strong academic programs, the sisterhood of active alumni with connections all over the world and a curriculum that includes stories of women.

Jessica Turner, a senior at Columbia High School in DeKalb County, attended the forum and plans to apply to Spelman, Agnes Scott, Georgia Tech and UGA.

“A few people asked why I’m applying to girls’ colleges but I don’t really see them like that,” she said. “I’m just applying to good schools, with good reputations and good connections.”

Women at the forum asked about dating and social life on campus.

Spelman is part of the Atlanta University Center, home to other historically black colleges including Morehouse College. Agnes Scott interacts with Georgia Tech and Emory University. Wesleyan has close ties with different colleges in Macon.

“We don’t live in a bubble,” said Wesleyan junior Sarah Hudson. “We do have fun.

“You need to ask why you’re going to college,” she said. “It’s not to find your husband or to party all the time. It’s to learn.”

Spelman junior Jonecia Keels said there’s no pressure to dress up or wear makeup to class. The absence of men gives women the opportunity to take on all leadership roles, she said.

Keels is co-captain of the college’s robotics team, SpelBots, which builds robots and programs them to play soccer or do other things. The team has travelled the world to compete, most recently in Japan.

Like other students at women’s colleges, Keels enjoys the small class sizes and professors who know her by name. Those, however, are characteristics of many liberal arts colleges.

What makes her experience unique, Keels said, are the additional lessons she’s getting.

“I’m learning about what it means to be a black female,” Keels said. “I’m learning about my history and what I will encounter after college. That prepares me more for life than if I went to a state school where I wouldn’t learn about my background.”

Critics of women’s colleges say the institutions fail to prepare women for a world in which they must work alongside men.

Students and officials at women’s colleges say they’re not about separating women from the world but about encouraging them to be active agents within it.

Spelman President Beverly Tatum answered the criticism by drawing a comparison to an orchestra.

“All the instruments play together, but they need time to practice alone,” Tatum said. “The violins need their time to practice together and learn from one another. Think of the four years of college as time for the violins to practice.”

Even still, women’s colleges have changed how they operate to guarantee their survival.

In recent years, colleges have admitted more international students, finding there is a growing demand for single-sex higher education. About 20 percent of the students at Wesleyan come from other countries.

Agnes Scott is working to develop a global girls’ summit that would bring high school girls from around the world to the campus, President Elizabeth Kiss said.

“This ties in to our vision of empowering women from around the world,” she said.

Hanwen Li, a senior at Agnes Scott, decided she wanted to attend an American women’s college after watching the Julia Roberts movie “Mona Lisa Smile,” set at Wellesley College in the 1950s.

“There’s a sisterhood here, we motivate one another but don’t compete against one another to succeed,” Li said.

“A lot of international students say they can get lost on a large campus because it is so hard to make friends. But here it is hard to isolate yourself.”

Some colleges have added programs to attract older, nontraditional students.

In the 1970s, Brenau started an evening program open to everyone, after noticing declining enrollments at its Women’s College.

In the decades since, the college has added weekend and online programs. Today there are more than 2,700 students, with about 900 attending the residential Women’s College, university President Ed Schrader said.

The typical student is a 30-year-old single mother, Schrader said.

While the nontraditional programs are growing rapidly, enrollment at the Women’s College has increased from about 665 students in 1999 to about 900 this fall.

Schrader said officials wouldn’t consider closing the women’s program.

“I’m a Southerner so I can say this but in the South women haven’t enjoyed the same opportunities as men,” Schrader said. “Until that day comes, colleges like us are needed.”