Yes to Women's Colleges
By Susan Scrimshaw, The Boston Globe, October 4, 2006

Two women's colleges, Regis College and Randolph-Macon Woman's College, announced recently they will become co-educational. Does this matter? Haven't today's women "made it"? Are women's colleges still relevant today? Yes, every bit as relevant, and in some cases more so, than they were when I was an undergraduate at Barnard College 40 years ago. Women have made extraordinary gains, but women are still the "first" and sometimes the "only" in many settings and situations. There are still wage and opportunity differences. There is still work to be done. Women's colleges are an important place for that work to continue. Women's colleges empower their students. Students say they receive support for who they are, what they bring, what they want to accomplish, and how to get there. You hear "yes" and "why not?" instead of "no" or "why?" And you gain confidence that you are in charge of your future. Even today, when women occupy more than half the seats in a typical coeducational classroom, women at single-sex institutions report having more engaging academic experiences than women at coed schools.

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