Unexpected Influence
Women Who Helped Shape the Early Community College Movement
By (author) Anne-Marie McCartan
Publication date:
27 January 2017Length of book:
194 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781475828641
In the second half of the 20th century, men and women of uncommon vision and commitment drove the phenomenal growth of that uniquely American institution of higher education, the community college. Students of this movement are well aware of the contributions of the men who served as college presidents, researchers, and national leaders – but what women made significant contributions that have not before been brought to light?
Mildred Montag envisioned and implemented community-college based programs to train nurses. Dorothy Knoell used her prodigious research skills to show that community colleges prepare students well to succeed after transfer. Mildred Bulpitt and Carolyn Desjardins helped create and run leadership workshops that resulted in hundreds of women moving up the administrative pipeline. And a dynamic group of women were behind the successful replication of community-based colleges through the establishment of the American Indian tribal colleges.
These stories and a dozen more are captured in this book. Those who are familiar with community colleges will welcome having these stories documented at last, and those new to the field will be inspired by how these women came to exert such “unexpected influence” on these remarkable educational institutions.
Mildred Montag envisioned and implemented community-college based programs to train nurses. Dorothy Knoell used her prodigious research skills to show that community colleges prepare students well to succeed after transfer. Mildred Bulpitt and Carolyn Desjardins helped create and run leadership workshops that resulted in hundreds of women moving up the administrative pipeline. And a dynamic group of women were behind the successful replication of community-based colleges through the establishment of the American Indian tribal colleges.
These stories and a dozen more are captured in this book. Those who are familiar with community colleges will welcome having these stories documented at last, and those new to the field will be inspired by how these women came to exert such “unexpected influence” on these remarkable educational institutions.
The women profiled in Unexpected Influence answered the call to leadership in the nation’s community colleges with neither fanfare nor credit. It is because of their service that millions of students have benefited from this uniquely American opportunity. This book is critical to understanding our institutional history and to ensuring that we respect the valuable contributions of these courageous women now and for generations to come.