The genesis of the junior college movement

Abstract

As a distinctly American phenomenon, the two-year college, or the junior college, rapidly is becoming a dynamic force affecting the thought processes, habits, economic status, and social interaction of people from every walk of life in every part of the community. From obscure beginnings, the two-year college has become the fastest growing social and educational institution in the United States. Since 1901, when eight junior colleges enrolled fewer than 100 students, the number of junior colleges has increased to more than 1,000 with enrollments exceeding 3,000,000.1 While the two-year college is the product of some 125 years of historical development, actually, only three major stages characterize its development. The first and longest stage lasted from 1850 to 1920, during which time the idea and acceptable practice of the junior college, as a separate institution offering the first two years of baccalaureate curriculum emerged. During the second stage, spanning from 1920 through World War II, terminal and semi-professional education gained widespread currency in the junior colleges. The stillcurrent third stage, beginning with the close of World War II, was ushered in by an awakening to the broadened responsibility of providing equal opportunity for all who could profit from education. Within the limited scope of this study, I will investigate only the salient features of the first stage and the background thinking leading up to the following two stages.