Date Awarded

1984

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Education

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to trace the development of the image of the College of William and Mary in order to test the hypothesis: The image of a selective liberal arts college is not exclusive to the private sector. In tracing the development of the image, the concept of saga, defined by Clark (1968) as an historically based understanding of organizational development was viewed as the theoretical basis for the study. Four factors were found to have a positive impact upon the development of the selective image of the College. (1) The restoration and growth of Colonial Williamsburg which attracts over one million visitors to the area each year. (2) The admission philosophy and policies which projected and fostered a selective image prior to the actual development of selectivity. (3) The administrative philosophy and development of the mission of the institution as espoused by the four presidents who served during the period. (4) The student bodies of the time period studied--their academic credentials, activities and foci during their college careers--both as a group and as individuals.;Statistics were compiled for the period 1946-1980 listing: the number of applicants; the percentage accepted; the percentage of admitted students enrolled; and the high school academic credentials including test scores and ranks-in-class. These were used to demonstrate the degree of selectivity which developed during the period.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25774/w4-3cfa-5e23

Rights

© The Author

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