America Goes to College

The age of university-building was also the golden age of the college. Attending college was popular and fashionable between 1890 and 1920. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree was a way for newly affluent families to enhance their social position.

Summarize the concept of the “Collegiate Ideal” that arose between 1890 and 1920. Consider how the “college man” and/or “college woman” was becoming an imposing figure in American higher education at the end of the nineteenth century. How did this collegiate ideal help the undergraduate college population increase? Analyze the political, cultural, and economic factors that were beneficial and challenging to the stakeholders at higher education institutions.