Date Awarded

1988

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Education

Advisor

John R. Thelin

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to both identify and analyze political, educational, and economic factors, particularly political factors, which had a significant impact on the development and growth of the Norfolk Division, The College of William and Mary (1930) into Old Dominion College (1962). The study was also designed to record a significant period (1930-62) in the history of a two-year, junior college and later a four-year, degree-granting college.;It was hypothesized that the development and growth of the college in Norfolk was based largely on decisions of a political nature rather than on those that were educational and economic. In addition, the effective application of politics enabled the college to survive several crises during the period 1930 to 1962.;The historical method of research was used to conduct this study. This method permitted the examination of primary and secondary source documents, the use of recorded oral testimony from participants and observers, and the scrutiny of relationships among peoples, places, and events.;The study concluded that political factors overwhelmingly influenced the development and growth of the college in Norfolk. The role played by local and state figures, as well as by local organizations and newspaper media, affected to a considerable degree the development of a two-year, dependent, junior college into a four-year, degree-granting, independent, senior college.;Further research into the post 1962 period is needed to analyze the changing educational needs of southeastern Virginia and to determine their effect on the growth of Old Dominion College (1962) into Old Dominion University (1969).

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25774/w4-xp0x-vw68

Rights

© The Author

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