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I think that the type of two-year college that Sigma Iota Chi, Eta Upsilon Gamma, and so on existed at / thrived in has nearly or completely disappeared. Up until the 1960s or 1970s there were indeed regions of the country where a form of, frankly, "finishing school" for young women still enjoyed a certain popularity.
Those kinds of institutions are, I believe, gone or all but gone. Why? Changes in opportunities for, and expectations of, women, for one thing.
Funding for postsecondary institutions, for another. The kinds of two-year schools we see today tend to be either
-- public community colleges or technical schools, or
-- private, sometimes for-profit, trade schools.
Those are, I think, a far cry from the kinds of places where Sigma Iota Chi et al began and generally thrived.
Are there any top-notch histories of post-WWII postsecondary education for women that deal with the fate or identity / mission changes undegone by the early 20th century two-year womens' colleges / institutes / academies / schools? .................. ? .............? Anybody? Bueller?
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