The seventh sister, Vassar, became coed in 1969. Next year, Marymount College, a Catholic school near New York City, plans to merge with Fordham University, also Catholic, but continue as a women's entity. Women's colleges were essential when they were founded in the 18th and 19th centuries to provide women with the education that male-only schools denied them. Scholars part company over whether they are still useful. Critics say they present an unrealistic view of society.
Advocates say they boost self-esteem and teach leadership skills.
They began to lose influence about 40 years ago as schools once closed to women began accepting them, particularly during the social changes of the 1960s. During that time, more than 150 women's colleges closed or became coed, said Jadwiga Sebrechts, president of the Women's College Coalition, an advocacy group. Ind. Total undergraduate enrollment at women's colleges last year was about 115,000, with an average student body of about 1,000, Sebrechts said. Some women's schools are going strong. Lesley College renamed itself Lesley University, reflecting growth since its founding as a teacher's college in Boston in 1909.