Midlands women’s college plans on adding male students as early as 2021

Press Release/Columbia College

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – Columbia College President Carol A. Moore said the women’s college will begin admitting male students as early as 2021.

“Enrollment has been dwindling for all women’s colleges and times change, cultures change, students want different kinds of things, and certainly students are looking for different kinds of opportunities,” Dr. Moore said.

Dr. Moore says once the plan is put into place, female students will have the option to take a track of classes consisting entirely of women.

Even though Columbia College has a smaller student body, Dr. Moore says there’s a proven way to get men to come to their campus.

“The most successful women’s colleges who go this route, they initially recruit men through athletics, so we will develop two, maybe three sports that will attract male students,” Dr. Moore said.

Some sports that the college is considering adding include soccer as well as track and field.

Some alumni say it was difficult to process the change.

“When the conversations began to first happen, I was very sad, but we do, I do feel confident in the administration and the board and people making their very, very best effort to ensure that the college continues and continues the affect the lives of many people,” said Rev. Tiffany Knowlin Boykin, a member of the Columbia College Board of Trustees.

There will be listening sessions for students and alumni to voice their concerns, but some board members say the changes won’t happen suddenly.

“I hope that people can take comfort in knowing that people are not flying by the seat of their pants, but we’re trying to be thoughtful that the work, the due diligence is going to happen before anything is implemented,” Rev. Knowlin Boykin said. 

Columbia College was founded in 1854 and is home to 1,200 students.