Another Women’s College Chooses to Go Co-Ed

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana has announced that it will accept men to all of its undergraduate programs beginning this fall. In the past, men were admitted to online bachelor’s degree programs and graduate programs at the college. In a statement the board of trustees stated that opening all undergraduate programs to men would “expand the pool of potential candidates who may consider attending the college.”

Men will be accepted as “commuter” students in degree programs for the 2o15-16 academic year. The plan is to permit men to reside on campus beginning in the fall of 2016.

Dottie King, president of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, noted that “we cannot be relevant to all women when 98 percent of women will not consider us. No one doubts the power of the single-gender educational experience. However, the number of women who will perceive such as a choice hinders its relevance in today’s world.” Dr. King has been president of the college since 2011. She holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, all from Indiana State University.

The latest Department of Education figures show undergraduate enrollments of 650 students and slightly more than 200 graduate students at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. The college, located near Terre Haute, was founded in 1840 by a group of six nuns from France.