Coeducation: A Trustees Recollection
            As I received recent announcements from the Trinity about the various  “Women at the Summit” events occurring this year as the college marks 50 year” of coeducation, it sparked the realization that I may be one of the only living members of the Board of Trustees at the time this transition occurred. Perhaps I am the only living one! These are a few of my recollections of the Board dynamics, issues and discussions during that critical period of Trinity’s history,  I served as an Alumni Trustee from 1969-75 during the period when the transition was
taking place.

       How I came to be on the board is interesting.  In college I had been active in a number of leadership roles.  I was a class president, president of the Student Senate, a member of Medusa.  I knew most of the Executive Officers well (in fact my dates for party weekends even stayed at either Dean Lacy or President Jacobs homes). After graduation I spent two years at the Harvard Business School obtaining an MBA and then worked there for another four years (1962-66) as an Assistant Dean. During those years I returned to campus 2-3 times each year for various events.  I also  became involved with the Boston Alumni club and served as  president.   From 1966-68 I obtained my Ph. D. from the University of Michigan and in 1968 became a Research Associate in the Institute for Social Research and an  Assistant Professor of Higher Education in the Center for the Study of Higher Education - a doctoral program and research center focusing on higher education at the U of M. My own interests were in policy, governance and management in colleges, universities and higher educational systems.

      Apparently during that time there was some concern by the Trustees that they should have some younger blood on the board.  Given my strong interest in the College and prior relationships, I was nominated, agreed to run and was elected. Interestingly although I was already nine years out of Trinity (Class of 1960),  I was at least 20-25 years younger than the next oldest trustee.  The Trustees, like most small Liberal Arts Colleges, were successful former graduates of the college who held primarily professional positions in legal, financial and business firms or in government and were mostly from the Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston east coast corridor.  With my addition there were now two members with higher education positions and expertise.  Daniel Alpert was a Professor of Physics, Dean of the Graduate College and Director of the Center for Advanced Studies at the University of Illinois and now myself.

        The dynamics of the Board were particularly interesting as we were dealing with issues that members had strong feelings about .  In the mid 1960s many liberal arts colleges were experiencing both declining enrollment and financial problems as well as reflecting the racial issues of the 1960s.  Indeed in 1968 the college had experienced student demonstrations including a blockade of the trustees regarding the need to increase minority enrollment and financial assistance.  How to deal with these racial issues were still dominating the board agenda when the decision to admit women was being discussed.  Needless to say both race and admission of women were hot topics about which an older, male alumni board who had experienced Trinity as a “mens” college felt strongly.

In approaching these emotionally loaded topics, I was particularly fond of and respected President Lockwood's leadership not only in guiding the Board to the decision but also the transitional controversies that followed. The general pattern of our board meetings began with a Trustee only social hour and dinner in the President’s house on Vernon Street. After dinner we would move into the living room for a discussion led by President Lockwood - usually focusing on the most difficult topics on the following days agenda.  Differences were aired but usually respectfully.  One pattern that I detected was how Pres. Lockwood used Dan Alpert and myself.  Knowing that the senior Trustees respected him, he would usually encourage Dan to talk about how an issue or problem that we were discussing had been handled at the University of Illinois.  Then he would call on me to explain how some other colleges that Trinity considered peers were dealing with them.  The message was clear. Dan assured them the issue could be dealt with and I gave them examples of how institutions they respected had dealt with it.  When even some of the most  controversial issues came up at the next days meeting, discussion was limited and members voted their priorities.

        Although the decision to admit women had been made the year prior to my joining the Trustees, there were many complex and controversial decisions yet to be made. When for example should we start admitting women - right away or after more advance preparation?  As I recall, we started right away but admitted some transfer women as well as freshman so there were upper class role models.  How big should the college become? We lacked facilities to handle a sizable increase and that would be expensive for a college with financial limitations. The resolution was a gradual increase.  How do we house a growing student population? This was a serious financial problem to be addressed that required some serious fund raising and led to the expansion of the North Campus area.  How many women should we admit? What should the balance of male and female students be?  This was partially resolved by the fact that (as I recall) the initial women applicants were as strong academically as men. If we were to admit more women and fewer men what would be the impact on Trinity’s revered sports teams?  We needed to grow fast enough to still accommodate the current male enrollment to populate our sports teams.  What about sports for women?  If so, what ones? Clearly not football! But a whole new set of sports would require more facilities and coaches.  To some extent Title IX in 1972 requiring equal access to sports for men and women resolved that and Trinity has added women sports successfully. Should the living arrangements and new dormitories accommodate co-ed living?  Wisely I recall the Trustees left this issue to the administration to take the heat on. How should the curriculum change to reflect both the changing times and the growing women student population?  Clearly that was an issue for faculty and the new students to tackle over time.

         Clearly during my time on the Trustees not all of these issues were resolved but they were anticipated and have been addressed over time as the college has continued to grow, to become a vibrant coeducational institution, to introduce curricular changes that reflect the changing times and students and to have strong faculty, student and administrative leadership that reflects the changing mix of a truly coeducational campus.  

Marvin W. Peterson,
 Professor Emeritus of Higher Education and former Director of the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education - University of Michigan

Trinity Class of 1960
Alumni Trustee 1969-75
Alumni Medal of Excellence 1976