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Political Factors Affecting the Establishment and Growth of Richard Bland College of the College of William and Mary in Virginia 1958-1972

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Political Factors Affecting the Establishment and Growth of Richard Bland College of the College of William and Mary in Virginia 1958-1972 W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1981 Political factors affecting the establishment and growth of Richard Bland College of the College of William and Mary in Virginia 1958-1972 James B. McNeer College of William & Mary - School of Education Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation McNeer, James B., "Political factors affecting the establishment and growth of Richard Bland College of the College of William and Mary in Virginia 1958-1972" (1981). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539618656. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25774/w4-k8e1-wf63 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This was produced from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or "target” for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)”. If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure you of complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark it is an indication that the film inspector noticed either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, or duplicate copy. Unless we meant to delete copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed, you will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. If copyrighted materials were deleted you will find a target note listing the pages in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photo­ graphed the photographer has followed a definite method in "sectioning” the material. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again—beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. For any illustrations that cannot be reproduced satisfactorily by xerography, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and tipped into your xerographic copy. Requests can be made to our Dissertations Customer Services Department. 5. Some pages in any document may have indistinct print. In all cases we have filmed the best available copy. University Microfilms International 300 N. ZEEB RD.. ANN ARBOR. Ml 48106 82051S1 M c N eer, Ja m e s Baylor POLITICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE ESTABLISHMENT AND GROWTH OF RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE OF THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY IN VIRGINIA 1958-1972 The College of William and Mary in Virginia EdD. 1981 University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor. MI 48106 Copyright 1982 by McNeer, James Baylor All Rights Reserved POLITICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE ESTABLISHMENT AND GROWTH OF RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE OF THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY IN VIRGINIA 1958-1972 A Dissertation presented to The Faculty of the School of Education The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by James Baylor McNeer May 1981 POLITICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE ESTABLISHMENT AND GROWTH OF RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE OF THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY IN VIRGINIA 1958-1972 by James Baylor McNeer Approved April 1981 by Paul N. Clem, Ed.D. Clifton}F. Confead, Ph.D ^Uonald j. Herrmann, Ph.D. Chairman of Doctoral Committee TABLE OP CONTENTS Page DEDICATION ........................... V ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................ vi Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ... 1 A Need is Established................................... 2 Higher Education in Virginia: 1950-1960................. 3 Initial Problems for Richard Bland ..................... 7 Purpose of the S t u d y ................................... 10 Definition of Terms ................................... 12 Scope and Limitations of the S t u d y ..................... 14 Method of R e s e a r c h ..................................... 14 Review of Junior College Literature ..................... 18 Organization of the Study ...... .... 29 II. ESTABLISHMENT OF RICHARD BLAND AS A TWO-YEAR INSTITUTION. 31 Introduction............................... 31 The Founding of Hopewell College......................... 31 The Founding of Richard Bland College.............. 63 III. POLITICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE GROWTH. OF RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE FROM 1961-1966 AND THE EMERGENCE OF JOHN TYLER COMMUNITY C OLIEGE .................. 108 Introduction ..... ........................... ... 108 .i-ii iv Political Factors Affecting the Growth of Richard Bland College from 1961-1966 ............................... 109 Political Factors Affecting the Establishment of John Tyler Community College in Relationship to Richard Bland College 1965-1966 140 IV. POLITICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE GROWTH OF RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE FROM 1967-1972 168 Introduction ......... 168 The Emergence of John Tyler as a Comprehensive Community College and the Movement of Richard Bland College to Four-Year Status ................................... 169 V. SUMMARY, OBSERVATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH. 242 SUMMARY 242 Political Factors Emanating from the City of Hopewell . 242 Politics and the Relationship between The College of William and Mary in Virginia and Richard Bland College .... 244 The Role of Political and Civic Leaders in the Establish­ ment and Growth of Richard Bland College ............ 246 The Effect of Politics at the State Level on the Establish­ ment and Growth of Richard Bland College ............ 248 The Judicial Decision and its Impact on Richard Bland College 249 OBSERVATIONS ........................................... 250 IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ......................... 253 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................... 256 VITA 270 ABSTRACT ..................................................... 271 Dedication This report is dedicated to the numerous individuals who have supported Richard Bland College throughout the years. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this study has involved the assistance and cooperation of many individuals. Special thanks are expressed to the members of the Committee. Dr. Paul Clem, Dr. Clifton Conrad, and Dr. Donald Herrmann have spent considerable time and shown much encourage­ ment during the project. Gratitude is expressed to Dr. Paul Unger whose long hours, extreme patience and suggestions while reading the manuscript enabled me to keep in perspective the work to be accomplished and to meet deadlines that had been set. Dr. Clarence Maze, Jr., President of Richard Bland College, too, provided encouragement throughout the study. Appreciation is extended to Mr. Homer C. Eliades for providing the archives of Hopewell College and to Mrs. Mildred Tatum for typing the manuscript. Thanks and appreciation are offered to my wife and children for their forbearance during the duration of the project. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION As developed in this study, the establishment and growth of Richard Bland College and the type of higher educational institution it has become was based largely on decisions which have been of a political nature.^ The consequences of these political decisions resulted in the College becoming the only two-year, state-supported branch college in the Commonwealth of Virginia. These political decisions were first initiated by individuals within the Southside Virginia area who saw the need for creating a two-year institution for students within commuting distance of their homes. Further, as the idea for the College gained support, political forces within the community began to exert influence at the state level. After the College had become firmly established, judicial decisions at the national level dealing with the problem of integration affected the growth and viability of the institution. Throughout the early period of the establishment of Richard Bland, decisions "of the moment" were often made which had little to do with what might be considered by educators as sound academic planning. These decisions have been included in the study as a part of the total analysis. ^-Davis Y. Paschall, interview held at the home of Davis Y. Paschall, Charles City County, Virginia. 12 May 1980; W. Roy Smith, interview held at the home of W. Roy Smith, Petersburg, Virginia. 3 June 1980; James M. Carson, interview held at the home of James M. Carson, Williamsburg, Virginia. 26 May 1980. 1 A Need is Established The need for a two-year college in Southaide Virginia was enhanced by the interest of and support generated by The College of William and Mary. Even though William and Mary was not the first four-year insti­ tution approached by interested citizens in the Petersburg area, it was the one that agreed to support a local branch college. The establish­ ment of Richard Bland by William and Mary would serve as a base for William and Mary exerting
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