The Hurtado & Ruiz and Langdon articles brought to mind the transition of Peace College, the former women's college in Raleigh, North Carolina, to William Peace University, a co-ed institution. This transition began to take place in 2009 with the enrollment of male students in night courses, culminating with a name change and a shift to all co-ed classes in 2012. The after-effects have had an impact on the campus culture and climate. This blog post from The John William Pope Center For Higher Education Policy talks in greater detail about the trajectory of change, and speaks about the disconnect between the administration, students, alumnae, and other vested parties.
This situation represents one in which the institutional identity was drastically changed. Additionally, reports indicate that the path towards these changes was not made clear to constituencies, and that institutional intentions could have been articulated in a way that incorporated the voice of students, faculty, and alumnae. From an outsider's perspective, even the name change emphasizes a strong shift with the addition of "William" to the name. This emphasis might serve to perpetuate a culture of gender-dominance, one in which Langdon identifies as a common occurrence at conversion schools.
Referenced blog:
A College Copes With Changes - The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy
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