The Experience of Women Students at the University of Kansas 1866-1890

Abstract

This project explores the issue of coeducation from the mid to late nineteenth century and the experience of women students. Specifically, this project details the experience of women students at the University of Kansas (KU) in the nineteenth century from its beginning, in 1866, to 1890. The Introduction and Review of Literature sections discuss the beginnings of coeducation, as well as the experiences of women students on the campuses of other colleges and universities. This information is included in order to establish a foundation as to how women students were included and, in some instances, excluded at other schools. This literature also is utilized in an attempt to compare the experiences of women students at KU to the experiences of women at other colleges. To fully achieve an understanding of the experience of women students at KU from 1866 to 1890, the following historical documents were used in this research endeavor: yearbooks, student newspapers, student organization bylaws and meeting minutes, graduation records, commencement programs and related material, City of Lawrence, Kansas newspapers, personal accounts, diaries and autobiographies, and other University related documents (Chancellor correspondence and speeches). Following the presentation of the research findings, is a discussion which relates the similarities and contrasts of the experiences of women students at KU to women students at other colleges and universities of the time period. Thus, a full understanding of the phenomena of coeducation at KU and the experiences of its women students can be understood and compared to the experiences of women at other schools.