DOCUMENT BESSIE

ED 162 580 EE 010 669

TITLE Thgaund for the Improvement of Postsecondary. Education. Projects/Woven. Feports from be Fund.

INSTITUTION , Fund for the Improvement offpostsecondary Education(DBE),. Washington,. D.C.

PUB DATE Feb 7746NOTE 17p., ;

,o

40,AVAILABLE FROM .Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Goverriment Printing

Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. iStock Husker017-080-01831-4)

EDRS PRICE aMF-$0.83 HC-$1.67 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Adult Learning; Adult students; Cvnseling Programs;

Educational. Change; Educational Problems;Experiential Learning;: *Federal Aid; FederalPrograms; *Females; futures (of Society); Grants;Higher Education; Instructional Matdrials;*Nontraditional Students; *Postseccnea0.Education;Program Descriptions; Sef Discrimination; *Womens-Education; Womens Studies

IDENTIFIERS Education and *Work;' *Fund for-Igprovement cfPostsecondary Educaticr; Reentry,

ABSTRACTThe:history of women's proqrams cf the turd for the

Improvement, of Postsecondary Education is *outlined, givinginformation on the kinds and scope of proposals .received. Fundingpatterns are explained, and general and specific program areas are'discussed: counseling programs, recognizing,-prior learning,iotegrating curriculum and career needs,,natSrials for wensstudies, and nonsexist institutions. 2be overview reve4s. promisingefforts to solve problems in postsecondary education that have A

significance for all learners, not just cten. komen's projectsconstitute an unusually promising approach tosystem improvement byhaving brought to the fore and begun to solve important educationaland social problems. (MSE).

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**********************4************************************************* Reproductions supplied' by EDRS arE'the best that can be- made

from the origiral documert.

U.S DEPARTMENT

OF HEALTH.

EDUCATION&WELFARE

!

NATIONALINSTITUTE

OF i.

EDUCATION

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THISDOCUMENT

HAS, BEENREPRO.

OUCEOEXACTLY

'AS RECEIVEDFROM

THE PERkONORORGANIZATION

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ATINOIT:POINTS

OF VIEW OR:OPINIONS

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REPRE

SENTOFFICdAL

NATIONALINSTITUTE

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,OR POLICY.

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DISCRIMINATION' PROHIBITED

No 'person in the United States shall, on thegrounds of race, calor, or national origin, beexcluded from participation' .in; be denied thebenefits of, or be subjected to discriminationunder any program or activity receiving Federalfinancial assistance, or be so treated on the basisof sex under most education programs or activitiesreceiving Federal assistance..

Repor0 from the Fund Projects/Women

0 I a 4 3 2

AV.

11-1E FUND FORIHE1MPRCVEMENFOFPOSTSEGDNDAIW

EDLICAT1ON

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION; AND WELFAREJoseph A. Califano, Secretary

Education DivisionsMary F. Berry, Assistant Secretary for Education

Fund for the ImProvement of Postsgoondary EducationErnest Bartell, c.s.c., Director

ObliEwbarr

The Fund for th,e119.secondary Education Waseducation' Amendments of

nt of Post-ed .by the"Improve-

ment,'.' asfinterpreted.bY the Fund, includesnot only laid to colleges universitiesenabling,.;them to .offer:'03r. festive' educe-,tional. experiences for Ores students, buthelp for pVtential learners ermine theireducational goals and select programs to meet.them. Support is given to existing institutionsto reforrri their policies and practices to servenew and/ returning learners, and to establishnew- institutions and agencies where neededto supply §ervices not currently provided.

Funding ,agencies 'have learned thatprovements, initiated with "soft" Federaldollars often disappear after the Federal sup-

- port ceases: This seems particularly true ofimprovements for which responsibility is per-ceived to rest in Washington and not in insti-tutions or States; for ideas originating withfunders rather than with practitioners; and forcases in .which the stakes for lasting successare higher for the funding agency than for the

/ grant' recipient.

Knowing this, the Fend's earliest solici.7.tation of prOjects sought to avoid support of"made in Washington" imprOvements. A

V

FIRST .EDITION FEBRUARY '1977

decision was made not to support categoricalprograms targeted at-kspecific client- groups,such as Indians., women, Hispanics, and

'adults. We did require, :though, that ;projectsdemonstrate "benefit tolearnerS," and: sincethe named client grbups tend to be.theleastwell served in postsecondary education, thanyof the improVements proposed to the 'Findand many of those actually fOnded benefitedthese groups of learners Some projects wereexplicitly designed by the applicants to aid-ohe or more of these groups of learners.

When a funding agency eschews categor-ical solicitations, it incurs a responsibilityafter the fact to analyze the problems andsolutions addressed by its grants. Because ofthis, the Fund has established a series calledReports from the Fund. Each report will dis-cuss a particular concern i0 postsecondaryeducation and describe Fund grants related tothat concern. This, the 'first in the series ofReports from the Fund results from the effortson the entirerund staff, buttspecial thanks forwork on this report go to Alison Bernstein,Lynn Derrieester-, and Carol Stoel. This reportwill review Fund projects designed to improveeducation experiences for women beyond highschool.

Virginia B. SmithDirector

February 1, 1977

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TABLE-OF CONTENTS

litroductionWomen's Conaerns

What Was Submitied'

What Was'Funded'Y

College Programs-for the Returning Woman Student

Counseling Program§ Outside CollegeS.

Recognizihg Prior Learnirfg .-t .

\tIntegrating Curriculum angl Career Need6

, I e

Material's for WoMen's Studies

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Noopexist Institutions 9

Conclusions and Futctre_Directions- y.

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INTRODUCTION

The early interaction between the wo"men's movement and American higher educa-tion was characterized largely by women'sstudies programs and affirmative action ef-7.,fortS. But the movement had not signifi-cantly contributed to a modification of thestructure of higher education nor to enhancingtherelationship of colleges and universities tothe broader group of potential women stu-dents outside the gates.

VBy 1970, hoWeVer, two phenome'na occur- '

red in higher education which had prOfoundimoact on the women's movement on campus,.One was a new'Federal and "State commitmentto equal access and mass 'higher educationwhich imposed a new group of.Jearners upon'previously more selective institutions and con-tributed 'to the extraordinary growth of Thecommunity college sector. This new commit-ment expanded. the cdncept of "Open Admis,dionA." Postsecondary education became a"right," not a privilege, and it was extendedto minbrities and economically disadvantaged.persons in both urban and rural communities.The second phenomenon was the increasing

.! economic *plight of private colleges anduniversities.

A number of academic feminists commit-ted to expanding access to postsecondary edu-cation saw increased access as a way tostrengthen and broaden the base of the wo-men's movement on .campus. Working wo-men; mothers, and,older women would helpframe the political issues as well as enrich theeducational experiences of others: Further-more, sorite facUlty perceived these women as

°catalysts for. fundamental changes in the cur-: riculum and 'structure of American higher

education':

:Running parallel to the' concerns of femi-nists were those of adrhinistrators facing de-dining enrollments. New "clienteles" had tobe found. Women over age 22 seemed themost likely applicant ridol:especially womenwho 'could afford to pay for their education.And so the administrators seized 'upon therhetoric of the movement and urged women to

explore. new life optims through their col2legeS. "Special" programs for women re-entering or entering college for the first timewere inaugurated. Some were old ,prograamswith new titles; a few actually attOmpted.toaddress special needs of adult wombrt. By thetiqe the Fund solicited its first ,froposals,women in higher education had come to be-perbeived as a pool of potential college re-:.cruitsi but thrise recruits might theinselvesforce changegin programs and poliCieS.;

-WHAT WAS SUBMITTgai",.

In ifs first 3 years of operation, the Fundreceived scores ofproposals describing tOeproblerns of older women students and pro-'posing strategies for eating with them. Pro-posals -came from all sectors of postsecond-ary edUcation, and -since the Fund is author-ized to award grants to non-accreditqdinstitutionsa number of proposals papiefrom newly established community groupsseeking nore effective .use of recently openedavenues 'to higher education. The .prOposalsrepresented_ a. diversity of approaches andmethodologies. The most promising.: ones,pointed to the fact that the current system ofpOstsebondary education did not adequatelyserve the needs of this new female population.

The leasti:cornpetitive proposals soughtfunds to dress' bp brochures, hire 4Unselors(usually part-time wOrrien not on the 'tenure,ladder), and provide orientation sessions for,women studentsonewly arrived on campus:, Atbest, these propcisals promised improved informationdissemination; at worst they usedfeminisrn\.as a guise for a new recruitmentstrategy. They argued that access alone wasthe problem, that present offerings, 'Practices,and pol icies served women well. The nature ofthe institution:its class 'schedules,)financialaid system, faculty composition, and pro,grams of study could remain untouched.Major adjustments would have to come fro

:the women.

Two reasons led the Fund to turn these,,proposals down. The Fund had determined

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that its-scarce funds should!fl. Ofie used toexpand access alone, but to provide supPortfor prlojects, that went beyond `access to im-

prove the educational experience itself. Thesecond reason deVeloped from what somepractitioners and women's groups told theFund in their' proposals: that more than thebrochures would have Jo be changed if return-ing women were toe well served.

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The' problems .described by the practi-tioners (mostly female) working in this fieldwere legion. Older women were isolated from:information aboUt a variety. Of\ educational op7portunities. They did not receive adequatecounseling prior to making a decision aboutwhether-and Where to go for an education.Poor women lacked °funds for many types ofprobrams*d did, not know how to receivegovernmeNal or State financial. assistance.,For these women, "access",-barriers tran-_scended what could be:handled in a brochure:Additionally, once in institutions, womenfaced new sets of barriers,. dies of sexism,often coupled with racism. A great manywomen suffered from inadequate preparation.:for "college-level" work:,1.These women tadpoor hidh,school. experiences, had been dis-'couraged from aspiring to go to college,' hadbeen away from the cloistered groyes ofacademe. And finally, The bestr4PropoSalscalled attention to the lack of fit betiveen a wo-man's educatiOnal- goals .and the prescribedprograms of study offered by: mostinstitutions: 4

existing curriculum (which did not reflect theworld of women) and the new ''!knowledge ex7plosion" in women's studies. Many women '-faculty and'qsome male facult0 in ,Women'sliberal arts colleges worried about preparingtheir traditional students for. work alter col-.lege. These persons submitted proposals link -'ing liberal arts education to field experience inbusiness, industry,' and the professions.Women scientists, wishing to .enlarge theirnumbers identified prbblemt in the tetentionof women in mathematics and the naturalsciences.

Traditional higher education ,had beendesigned primarily for white, male youth. De-spite significant numbers of female students,the character of most co-educational colleges

. and universities (and \even a number of wo-men's colleges) was shaped by male visions:'marriage, childbearing, childrearing, andwork were.nOt accommodated pithin the male-dominated model. Older students and especi-ally older women students deseNed new edu-cational niodels tailored to their needs.

Some excellent proposals tackled' prob-lems associated with serving traditional stu-dents age 18-22. Feminist scholars expressedconcern about the widening gar? between

Half of the proposals submitted soughtfunds to Provide some forM of counseling forolder worhen. These proposals ranged fromthe institution based recruitment:counselingproposals mentioned earlier, to community-based counseling programs that included ad=vocacy to.colleges On behalf of-'women stu-sdents,.and continuing counseling support forstudents once accepted into collegiate pro-grams. The second largest category of propos-als asked for support to hire faculty to teach

4 women's studies ''courses: Some proposals'asked for operating funds to establish a wo-men's center. which would serve as an infor-matiort'Clearinghoude,counseling and referralagency; and center of ferrithist activity on

. campus.,A few propOsals sought to increaseresearch about women. .

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Unfortunately, many ofJ these proposalsshowed all too clearly that t ey in fact were"add ons" to the: institution,. Few showed howthe added.wornen% studies faculty would be

. supported after Federal funding ceased or..how the funCtions of women's centers wouldimpact on other aspects of the inStitUtion,especially since the centers were: eparatedboth in terms of personnel rand .geographyfrom the mainstream of campus, ictivities. Inshort, these requests were not viewed, by theinstitutions 'as 'start-up fuhds for priority im-Proyements of a comprehensive .nature.

Over the last 3 years, some of our. mostinteresting proposals came from the non-collegiate sector. Proposals. submitted by theNational Council , of Negro Women, theWomen's Inner City Educational Resources

oir, .;

Center (WINNERS), the VVomen'S History Li-braryiand the Women's Institute of Alterna-:tive.Psybhotherapy all fell within the Fund'sbroad eligibility requirements. Each of theseproposals argued for significant changes inthe ways women relate to postsecondary edu-

_ cation," and the way education relates to theworld of work.

Yet, despite this seeming diversity' ofproposals, a number of problem areas werenot addressed by applicants. In its first 3ears, the 'Fund did not receive proposals

which focused on leadership developmenthow to improve postsecondary education byinfusing qualified female leadership at thehighestlevels. Anotherunaddressed problem

- area concerned the redesign of faculty work-loads to accommodate part-time contributionsof women staff.'While many institeitions,havefound ways to accommodate female facultywho wish to teach part-time, campus empltiy-merit procedures continue to be hostile to andexploit part-timers. The relationship of affir-mative action to tenure has not been tackledby any applicant. And finally, although somealternative models -of women's institutionshave been funded, the Fund has yet to receivea proposal which seeks to evaluate, whether atraditional institution .has achieved °a "non-,sexist" climate.

WHAT WAS FUNDED 2'.

In the last 3 years, the Rind has commit-ted nearly $1.3 million for projects designed tohelp older women determ*eitheir educationalgoals prior to enrolling in educational pro-grams and attain them while enrolled. Theseprojects have constituted the largest singlecategory of grants related to, women'sethicational needs. Grants have been made toa diversity of organizations and reflect a vari-ety,of strategies. Support has gone to BaratC011ege, a ,small women's college located inthe northern suburbs of Chicago; the Wo-

, men's Inner CitEducational ResourcesCenter, a Black wMen's community grouplocated in the Roxbury section of Boston,Mass.; Temple University in Philadelphia; the

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Ftegicinal Learning Service of Syracuse, anindependent "brokerage" 'agency supportedin part by a consortium of Postsecond-ary educational institutions in western NewYork State; San 'Jose City College, a publiccommunity college in Calif.; and finally, theEducational Testing Selvice of Princeton, N.J.

,College Programs for ReturningWomen Students

The collegiate institutions are focusing onways. to accomodate Older women withinnew or already existing programs: Barat wasdetermined to eliminate barriers'. preventingolder 'students from enrolling and sotightfunds:to speed its conversion frcin'a pr(rbom-inately residential college for 1,6I-22 -year -oldsinto a postsecondary institution also'servingnee& Of returning community women.:WithFund support, Beret acCOmplished_a transfor-mation so that over, 40 percent of its studentsare. 25-.or older. Initially -Beret experiencedstresses its 18-22-year-old, residential culturerather 'suddenly was hit by an influx of oldercommuting womezOne lows of tension wasthe classroom; some older students takingtheir firstcourse in years felt insecure in themore free-wheeling, innovative 'style ty# to-day's college, classroom.;, some younger stu--dents were put off by the newcomers' desirefor more: structure and drive:for the affirma-tion affordeti 'by high grades: .Teachers wereaccused ohaVoring either the, older or theyounger gro00,- A variety of methods wasthen used) promote better understandingand exchange. As a result, almost everyone in-the college now belieVes there is a far health-.ier mix of students, perspectives, and learning,styles in the "cross-generational" classroOrn.

Barat also had to deal with its own instktutional arrangements insofar as they pre-surnEld a younger, residential student body.Initially, returning community worneti wereserved, prior to and after enrolVnehttsby aseparate, FUnd-supported office combiningcounseling, services ana advocacy functions.The office performed valuable service in pro-moting equity for part-time, older women,prompting more convenient scheduling of

e:

es, year;round course, offerings, carpools; better. child care, rearranged office-hpurs, and changes in matters as mundane asmail. boxes and vending machines. Eventu-ally, however;.the 'office 'came to be resentedfor the-"separate and special" Ora it put on

f .the women, it served and fOr the ways in whichits existence allowed "regular" college off ibes

functions,to contle unchanged; Barat therefore abol-ished toffice, fdlded its functns. and per-sonnel into existing offices, then undertookself-study and retraining to assure that,thetotal college acted throughout to serve theneeds of enrolled women of all ages.

demic program for Chicanas. It is not attempt---47i-rtg- to alter,the structure and 'services of the.

institution for all women stude ts, butrather, work within the confines establishedby. the'college. Secondly, it is 'geared to thespecialjaeeds of Spaniih-speaking women. itspurpose is to ease the transition of thesewomen from home-based activities.tolhe ackdemic world. A few of the more than 100_women participating haye been away fromschool. for 40 years and the average number ofyears absent from formal learning environ-ments is 16. The foundation of the program is'a 10-unit course of study in general educaOne strategy of the program encom"block "ibheduling" so that womenthrough their courses and counselisame group. The low attrition rat'in the project attests to the suppophere renIting from close associapeers. After thirdond final year of funding,the project was absorbed into the regular`budget of the college.

The Regional Continuing EdOcation forWomen Program' (RCEWP) is a Philadelphia

. network of . college 'offices servng adult '

women. Formed by Temple University'sOffice of Continuing Education for Women,members alsd include coordinators at BucksCounty ComMynity. College, Community Col-lege of Philadelphia, belaware'County Com-munity College, and Montgomery County .

\ Community College. During RCEVVp's first 2\ years: the institutions have informed; numer-ous women of educational opportunitiesthrough° widespread radio, newspaper; andtelevision publicity about Rp,EWPOrogramsand services, The use ofthe..rnedia wasconsidered crucial if the project w s to haveimpact on the more than one mi pion adultWomen living in the greater Philadelphia area.The project has produced a series "Highlight-ing Opportunities for, Women" in cooperationwith\ the Philadelphia public libraries; anumber of programs 'featuring women in avariety 'Of career-fields, the 'publication of a

3 "Guide to Higher EdUcation Resources" anda "Guide to Day Care Services and Early;EducatiOn`Programs." An important RECWPcontribution has been 16 training seminarS.tosensitize professional staff and interested fac-ulty at member institutions to the needs andconcerns:of-adult students. The network hasalso emba(ked. on research to assess theacademic and service needs of adult women-students at the colleges.

. The San Jose City College project differsfrom the other collegiate efforts in-two impor-tant ways. First,, it is an -intensive, 1-year aca-

assesroceed

with the-of women.ive atm&

ith

Counseling Progrvams Outside Colleges

Two significant departures from thecollege-based adult counseling and educationprogram are the Regional' Learning Service(RLS) project in Syradse,and the WOmen's-Inner City Educational Rsources (WINNERS)projebt in Boston. Both RLS and. WINNERS"broker" educational services - for studentconsumers. Because they do not rely. on sup-

refrom a particUlar institution, they are freeto match student needs with the most appro-.priate 'postsecondary educational activity,. orin some'cases, suggest alternatives to formaleducation.

In central New. York, RLS has identifiedfive groups with partiCularly urgent needs. foreducational and career counseling. These arewomen:, persons -without high schooi. diplo-.mas, persons without college degreessons

per-sons contemplating career changes, and dis-advantaged populations. In response, R1S hascreated inventories of cornmurcit9-bade .edu-cational. resources, trained part-time coors, and'inttiated an ongoing servicee, whichruns from in the morning to 9 in the everiing.

.Over 900 persons .,have already availedthemselves of the RLS individual counselingservices (and close to 70 percent of theSe arewomen). To maintain services, beyood the ex-piration of start-up funding, RLS has experi-mented with tee structures and is looking forsupport from new combinatipns of State andprivate funding sources.

The WINNERS program includes Aggres-siye dissemination about the services;.mation about alternative educational: andcareer optionS; educational planning, cOpnsel-ing, and referral; advocacxeethe;instit5tionallevel once the Woman- is enrolled;. skill devel-opment; schOlarshiP and financial aid counsel-ing, and temporary .child care. Since- 1973,WINNERS haS, served over 1,000 women inThe Uniqueness of *RLS lies in its 'nothe central Boston area; many of whom arestrings attach hilosophy of counseling.now enrolled in postsecondary education. ,Students are rpers to be served; RLS' - .

success' is no to recruitment. Clients are As an advocate 'for urban, women,_encouraged a informed to choose from a -N WTNNERS has helped sensitize the institu-wide array of educational possibilities, includ-tioris to the particular needs and strengths ofing traditional or riontraditiOnal programs,its studerits and has worked with local colleges2-year or 4-year, public` Or private;.# vocationalto develop new 'programs for occupationalOr academic institutions; and part-time or full- mobility for minority women. If is c gentlytime attendance. RLS does not assume that . , working with Boston State Ckol lege to stablishany one program or institution is appropiratea training, curriculum in 'business and generaloffice skills for disadvantaged urban women.

. Supported for 3 9eari.by'the Fund, WINNERShas established itself as a vital service

While RLS has- served clients chiefly organization, and is Conceritratilig in its fourththrough individual' counseling, 'it' has also , year of a Scaled down Fund.grant on ileveloffered 'a numper of,%workkope, particularly , oping a sound financial base.

a .for women, hich participants haveloundhelpful. Workshops have taken various: forms,;

dit

for everyone, but rather that everyone isentitled to an opportunity to find what suitshim or her best. ,

from a day-long prograrri on nontra ionaloccupations for 200 women. to several series of4-6 weeks each in churches, I ibraries'or other

- community. settings.. Featuring one or moreaspects of educational and/or 'career .con-cerns, these workshops have presented infot-mation, guidanCe, and peer simporta Combi-nation which often sparks further:academic orvocational pursuits.

At WINNERS the accent is on communityself-help. 'Established with a $209,890 grantfrom the Fund in 1972, WINN'ERS' staff, whoare themselves women fromthe community,.assist other predominantly urban ,Black wo-men to develop and implement their pOstsecLondary educational and career goals. Theiiprvice was designed to meet the identifiedneeds of nontraditional learnerswomen whohays' the potential for college but who are,not aware of the Availability of 'resources or'the steps they must follow to make use of,them.

Recognizing Prior Learning

One project takes a very different cut atthe problems of reentry or first entrItof Oilerwomen into postsecondary education. Toresearchers -at Educational Teiting Service(ETS), Dr. ,RuthkEkstrom,- and "Dr. MarlaineLockheed, are helpirig older women who have.bad extensive ,experience in, volunteer' anddomestic work' demonstrate (heir coMpeten-

a, cies as aSsis for obtainkfig a9aci ni3-11-c- credit.

Ekstrom anciLockheed ace developing

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_workbooks designed to relate competenciesomen have*cjuired'as a result of nonclass-

room experiences to certain competencies ac-quired in the 'academic world. Without thisapproach oliier 'women have tipitally spenttime ostensibly learning once ag-41/1, skills orconcepts that they have already acquired. This ,

IS both costly and time consuming for the.indi-vidual as well as society.

In the first year' the ETS' project devel,oped a three-dimensional taxonomy of voldn-

Aeer and domestiC 'skills. The dimerisionsincluded: 1) the setting of the .activity;' 2) ,the:function performed; and 3) subStance of theactivity (e.g., persons, ideas, or things). In its"final year of funding the ETS project is field

' testing the workbooks developed with anadvisory board' of eight colleges and withvolunteer groups. The materials will then bedisw-minated to an even larger educational .

and working /Community. The primary objec-tive of the grant is to help facilitate the entryof women into postsecondary education by.linking learning. acquired outside 'academicclassrooms to the woman's eventuarcoUrse ofstudy.

Integrating Curriculum andCareer Needs

Prior to requesting afgrant, NortheasternUniversity". found .thtough a sutvey that anumber Of' barriers prevent mature womenfrom finding suitable employment'. Many"women had dropped out of .,Itbeisal , artsPrograms to raise families andrIvvere having'difficulty completing:these course, require-ments to obtain baccalaureate degrees. Inaddition,, even women with -B.A. degrees in .

tcaditibnal fields were're/Teoted by employerswho cited inadequate career ,training.

The relationship between career needsand liberal education has -been the -focus ofMuch Current discussion. High rates of unem-ployment have led some to question the valueof less vocationally oriented education. Othersare seeking ways of meshing ttie two`:

Three Fund,grants.Wcrrking sprecifically:1/4with Women are developing new ways to link -'w..Ork concerns, with learning Which' preservethe need f9r.genbrql education while-fadingthe problern of employability'. At Nortileattrern University, an jnstitutioR with'a rep,utation.for 'cooperative, educational prsgramS withindustry, a special project .`was funded to

"'translate" traditional degree transcripts intoappropriate skills training for available jobs. '_.At Mills College in Oakland, Calif "trVitioGalcounseling was madea part of a large careerand life planning center-. In New York city,The National, Council of Negro VVomehdeveloped a joint projectt,with Pace Universityto 'help minority. trapped. inlow-level,, clerical' jobs receive 'a work4-basedAssociate. in. Arts degree' combining. skillstraining'and general education courses. hesethree _fund grantees are eXploring ways ofconnecting education to the 'increasing role ofwomen in tho labbr force,.

The issue fOr these women was how to,Obtain a- "relevant'.' education to get a job:Hence, the goal of the"Northeasterri grant is to

o develop'"Career Competence Curricula Portfolioe as shOrt tern alternatives to, more.time-consuming degree programs. Ten. Major.,,employers, in the Boston areaare.working with jNortheasterh faculty to develop 60 career"moduleS" based on skills,thoUght needed for .

predicted job vacancies. Worrien will tAenselect a particular. module. 1..4,50 will prepare:then for actualjobs. The women, participating..in die- program"will Include. college andnonC011ege graduates, unemployed as well as

employed women wishing to upgrade theirskills. The Northeastern program, in additionto identifying-skills appropriate for specificjobs, helps Womenidentify their conirierenCies'acquired in a number of learning environ-ments and works closely with lheETS wanton translating volunteer and. experi-ences into academic :credit. ,

, With a grant from the Fund, -Mills Col-lege established the'Center for Odreet andLife. Planning whiCh provides a variety ofcareer servioes for women undergraduates.The Center designed a career counseling prO=gram emphasizing the philosophy that career'goals are reached through a developmentalprocess that irivolves students; faculty, andCenter staff in a cooperative venture.

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During its first year, the. Center devel-oped a npmber of, tools and techniques for usein this process:"a career resource library thatContains a broad range of printed material onwomen ancPbareer opportunities; vocationalinterest tests and personal counseling; panelsand group discussions focusing on preParation

.for specific careers; information on graduateschool requirements and review sessions foradmission exams; workshops on.. resumewriting, job interviewing; and other placementtechniques; and a series of, speakers featuring ''women professionals as role models.- jnaddition, the Center. for Career and LifePlanning coordinates the college internshipprogram, which hat become a valuable part ofliberal arts education at Mills. By the end ofthe Center's second year,*Mills worpen hadreceived academic credit for participating inover 300 diverse off-campus internships.

Somd results of Mills' intensive eXplora-tion of the relatioithip among career prepara-tion, the libera arts tradition, and theeducation of women, were curricular changesat Mills. The project also resulted in reinvig6-

,.., rating the liberal arts' curriculum and asharper fcicue on ca eer planning and, guid-ance within it. The ,p jest has, demonstratedthat a liberal arts e cation does. providecertain highly - markets e skills in connrnuni-:cation, articulation, the ability to analyze andsynthesize, and in organizational ability, Theexperience of the Center has been that unlesscareer guidance is coordinated with.._ theacademic program, the impact of attennpltioinvolve women in early career an life.planning is greatly_ weakened. For this reason,faculty and 'members of the administrativestaff have supported the Center's efforts tobiend effective career planning with the. aca-,,demic develOpment of students throudeikttheir years at Mills.

" The National Council of Negro. Women(NCNW), project is a model of cooperationbetween community groups and educationalinstitutions to enhance the career opportuni-ties for women (and in this , mature WickWomen), in low-paying jo 60-hour Afso-

, date in Arta- degree awarded through PaceUniversity is being designed to move womeninto management, sales, and administrative'positions. NCNW's role is to administer theproject and link the resources of the college to'the businesses involved. Pace provides theactual instruction. Eight companies are par-ticipating with students and faculty inonducting a task analysis' aLcompetenci4

required'for jobs and are -jointly, developinb acurricultun that reflects these competencies.First year activities included the developmehtof the curriculum and the selection of 75women to particiPate' in the program.' Thisproject tests a new apgoach to' curriculumdevelopment through the collaboration of acommunity group interested in .the career-advaribilpent of its constituency,, an educe-tional institution, and the business sector..

'Both Purdue UniwersitY and WesleyanUniversity have distinguished reputationt fortraining students for careers in the mathe-matics; engineering, and science fields. Overthe last few years, faculty and administrationat these institutions have been attempting tosolve the problem of the underrepresentationof women in the mathematics and sciencecurricula with two distinct approaches, AtPurdue, efforts have been directed at increas-ing the retention rate of women who' had'already selected these disciplines, while at.Wetleyan, the emphasis has been on increas-ing the riumbecof women initially seledtingthe mathematics and science fields of study".

Although the enrollment of women inscience curricula at. Purdue . University hadbeen steadily increasing over a 10-Year ,

period, the attrition rate-for women was sig-nificantly higher than the attrition rate for.men. With a Rund grant, Purdue imple-mented. a 2-year pyoject to increase theretention. rate Among freshman and sopho-more.. women (Where attrition had been thegreatest) in the science disciplines. The basicaisedrription of the project,was that the women,were leaving the sciences by -choice ratherthan academic failure, and themfore, could beinfluenced by an intervention program.

Incorporating seveF"al elements that Pre-viously had been shown to play importantroles in the career choices of undergraduates,the project offered intensive counseling, aspecial. course which had as its primary.purpose the exposure Of women science stu-dents to viable role models (women. soletists), and small group .faculty-Atiident e-

Seardh projects. Analyses of the results of theintervention strategy showed that the project

significantly 'increased the retention rate ofwomen participating in the prograrriS "to thesame .1eVels as that of male students,. provid-ing support for the .hypothesis that womenwere leaving the sciences by ahoicejand thattheir choice could-be influenced. In addition, 'itWas found that the greaten tne participationof the students in the'project,- the higher theretention rate. For example, the:retention rateafter '2 years for students who received in-tensive coeseling, enrolled in the specialcoarse and participated in the faculty-studentprgject, was '60 percent as compared tn:39percent fir students Who did not participate in .,any of the project elements. These resultsappear to demOnstrate.that intervention canbe effective in increasing_ the numbers ofWomen, in the science curriculum by retaininga greater percentage of Women after they haVeselected.one..orthe science disciplines:

At-Wesleyan.University,:,the.:approach toincrease. the number of women in rnateh-

atics and science courses has been different.A group:of fault* and administrators at Wes-.leyan; formerly a male liberal arts.. collegewhich recently became coeduCatiOnaf notedthat women studentswere.,not electing mathe-matic§ and natural science courses.' Thesewomen seemed to be suffering from what canbe 'called, "math anxiety", a feeling thatone'saptitude in .thathematics is inadequate,to permit her to take further math coursesleading to science professions: or, even, do:quantitative work in the. social sciences. The'greater flexibilities of bacCalaureate require-ments in recent years have allOwed 'studentsto go through college without taking a singlemath course and without having to challengetheir fear of the-subject.: Wesleyan receivedsupport-NM the Rind to tackle the problem

Of "math anxiety". The project is studying theorigins and manifestations of "math anxiety"while:SearChing far solutions through pilotcoUrSeS, diagnostic. tests, and counselingoffered in a "rnatti anxiety" clinic for under-graduates.and,cornmunity people.

The clinic has five functions: to rimminicourses utilizing new teaching techniquesfor undergraduates; 2) to run similar coursesfor adults;. 3) to sponsor workshops and

seminars on the tide of mathematrcs,insocietyand its utility for certain profeSsions; 4) tofOrnish- a "compLitational skills laboratory -forstudebts 'having 'Oiffiquitycourses outside of mathematics; 'and 5) to..disseminate findings arid information aboutsuccessful interventions to combat "mathanxiety" at two regionaMOnferences on the'subject for educators at all levels.

The clinic has been operating a little overa year and has already received widetpreadsupport and interest. The project was thesubject of a report on National Educational'Television and it has served' as a catalyst 'toencourage other institutions to *mount effOrtsof this type on their own campuses. Although:the project stemmed originally from a concernabout women undergraduates, the clinic isdeveloping 'Courses and strategy which willaid any student who has suffered from earlynegative educational experiences with mathe-matics.

Materials for Womeifs Studies

In its first year of operation, the Fund'sponsored two unusual and cost-effective ap-proaches to disseminating information aboutwomen ,:to postsecondary education institu-tions and their students. The School of Law of.Seton Hall University in Newark, N.J.received $49,572 to produce a color video-cassett law §dhool course on Women and theLaw. Fourteen color video-cassette programswere produced on, selected aspectsof-the lawas it affects women. Outstanding, legalscholars were invited to develop the materialsfor each segment.' The course encompassedsuch topics as the Equal Rights Amendment,constitutional law,' employment discrimina-..tion, credit discrimination', rape,.:,and the cor-rectional justice system.

The video - cassette "course" was notintended to take the place of class activi 'es,but rather.to form the basis of seminar s-cussion: It' has been widely praised and h' sbeen used in over 300. colleges, junior col-leges,. and universities across 'the country,This grant, provided a cost-effective way to

d,eliver an educational activity in., an areaacknowledged as being jrnportant and yetunexamined in traditional law school curricula.

Anoter early,grani.went to the Women -'sHistory ResearctrCenter in Berkeley, Calif. Itrequested funds for its libraries, and to` helptrain teachers and a men's centerganigers in the collection, preservation, and dis-semination of documents relating to women'shistory. Librarians/ interns were selected fromall parts of the country .abd given 'inservicetraining on new bibliographic. techniques formaking available 'the past and -contemporaryhistory of women, and thdy, in,turn, put thesenew skills to work when they returned to theirown colleges or women's centers. It is also,worth noting that through the Fund's inter-Nention the Women's-History Research Cen-ter was helped .to find a permanent home atthe University of Wyoming (the subject files)and at Northwestern. University (.he periodi-cals), and given a setting in which furthercollecting and ° research, suppOrted by theuniversities, can take place: Furthermore, theinterns cataloged the maters 4 whichCenter published on inicrof en and thismaterial is new available througli 200 institu-tions in the United States and six otfter.Countries.

Non-sexist Institutions4

Perhaps the Fund's boldest grants :arethose which are creating new non-sexistmodels of education at the Postsecondarylevel. Over the last 3 years, the Fund has'given ndarly a half million dollars to AlvernoCollege, a women's liberal arts iristitutiOn, inMilwaukee, Wis. The Alverno grant Was madeto help the college establish a new liberal artscurriculum and implement a comprehensiveperformanced-baSed learning approach to theawarding of a baccalaureate degree. The.impetus for this new approach came from anawareness that women 'students- needed to

"acqu'ire special competencies to overcomecertain forms of societal conditioning-. Womenhad .to develop skills in oral communicatiOn,group process, managerial skills, and anatirti-cal problem-solving. An explicit goal of the .

- ,

grant was the creation of an environment freefrom the traditional stereotypes and biaseswhich have hindered femae undergraduatesin the past. While intellectual curiosity andcritical thinking are prized in the Alverpomodel, the re not-assumed to be acquiredsolely through the learning of a "set"' body ofknowledge and, the accumulation of exposureUnits in specialized disciplines. It is too early*to tell whether Alverno is an authentic Dewkind of womr's College but early 'resortssuggest that because they have started theirreform with the most basic-questionwhat isit students ought to be when they graduatethey have discarded. much of the baggagewhich weighs heavily on women -in male-oriented institutions.

The Women's Institute of AlternativePsychotherapy in Boulder, Colo, was formedto respond to several problems akthe praes-sional level. Many therapists promote "nor-mative" societal values and counsel women,regardless of race, socio-economic role,' orpersonality type, to adjust to the traditionalmodel of the middle class female. The practiceignores the value systems among women :ofCulturally different backgrounds. Doctoraltraining ,programs do little to correct thispractice. 'Currently, there 18 no graduatePro-gram which educates licensed therapists witha special expertise and sensitivity to the needsof women. The Women's Institute received a'.grant frOm.the Fund which has established agraduate school In alternative psychotherapy,which, will grant experience-based degrebs..Negotiations are now under way for fullaccreditation. The Institute is developingMasters and doctoral programs as well as.continuing education for practicing profes,signals. New degree models are based onintensive clinical training, as well as thoroughgrounding in emerging psychological theoriesof Women. The Institute itself is a model of thevalues it promoteS, and is organized around ahorizontal. structure that, allows students,staff,and faculty to participate equally indecision-making. All persons, 'regardless ofdegree attainment are regarded. as learnersand have opportunities for self-development.

CONCLUSIONS AND.FUTURt DIRECTIONS 'This review of projects, fotused primarily

on Women., reveals promising efforts to. solve.problems in postseCondary -education thathave significance for alt.:. learners,' not just'women.

A grovtking proportion of students in post-secondary education is beyond the traditional18-22 year age range. Older men and womenseek to.continue their education, but their po-tential contributions- and special needs areoften ignored by traditional credentialing pro-cedures; their educational programs are often.unconnected to their home or work situations;and their sense of selPworth is often under-mined by the.insensitiVity of other studentsand faculty. Older' minority and low-incomestudents have even, more difficulty trying-toaccommodate,- toOhe academic and socialmores of aca'clenia and they are frequentlyunable to get useful pr,e-enrollment counsel-ing to help them identify the best possiblelearning environments. Older women havenow been able to dramatize these concernsand focusnot.igh -attention on them. to gainsupport both Within" and without institutionsfor dealing-effectively. with them: The solu-tions developed4ill aid all older students andWill aid colleges and universities that Wish toserve them.

Unfortunately, some of the most effectiveof the counsel: g, advocacy,; and assessment

programs (such as RLS,and WINNERS) havefound it difficolt to obtain a solid base ofcontinuing financial support. If they are tobecorne a stable and significeant, part of thepostsecondary education system, Federal andState - level funding agencies must recognizetheir importance.

Over the years, educators have soughteffective change forces for higher education,folices which encourage crossing disciplinarylines, which reexamine the worth of educationprograms fog today's learners, and whichexperiment with new teaching technologies.Women's- .projects have shown that a focus onwomen may constitute a highly effective forceforwider change. With the goal of addressingthe problems of women, institutions hat3e-designed degree programs, developed new

..Anterdisciplinary materials on,' Women,, andthereby enriched the content of several disci-plines, linked\icareer and liberal education innew ways, and have gained new acceptancefor out-of-class learning. Seeking improvedoutcomes fOr women in postsecondary educa-tion, has led to a candid reappraisal of :theadequacy'of present education efforts for alllearners. As such, women's projectt consti-tute an unusually promising approach tosystem improvement. The full value of theFund's. investment can only be realized ifthese pilot efforts are built on thrqiugh furtherresearch Sand diffusion efforts. '9

THE FUND FOR THE IMPROVEMENTOF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

400 Maryland Avenue s.w..Washington, D.C. 20202

FUND GRANTS FOR WOMEN'S PROJECTS'1973-1975

Recipient

Women's inner City Educational ResourceCenter

90 Warren StreV,Roxbury, Mass. 02119

iducational Testing Service.Princeton, N.J. 08540

Wornan's Re- Entry PiogramSan Jose City CollegeSan Jose, Calif. 95128

Temple UniversityOffice of Continuing.EducationPhiladelphia, Pa. 19122

National Council of Negro Women815 Second Avenue, Suite 901New York; N.Y. 10017

Northeastern. UniversityOffice of Adult Day ProgramsBoston, Mass. 02115

Math. Anxiety ClinicWesleyanMiddletown', Conn. 06457

Women's institute of AlternativePsychothera

Boulder, Colo. 80202

Formative Evaluation Research Associates'Projept on "Women's Programs:Do They Matter"1130 Hill'StreetAnn Arborl Mich. 48104,

Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette, Ind. 47907

1- Mills CollegeOakland, Calif. 94613

Women's History Research CenterBerkeley, Calif.

Beret CollegeLakeForest, Ill. 60045

School of LawSeton Hall UniversityNewark, N.J. 071'02

Regional Learning.ServiceSyracuse, N.Y. 13213

Aiverno CollegeMilwaukee, Wis. 53215

1973 1974

$209,890 $198,161

95,055

51,781 52,161

50,125

:1975

$155,000

58,970

57,312

69,000

77,769

50,918

28,484

60,596 39,341

75,600 25,000

50,457 18,000

49,572

46,994

46,000

33,998

118,000 75,000n

96,856 247,916 151,928p

strU.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING MICE: 1978- 271 - 188/1071