Standards (1890-1920)
People of the College Board
Charles W. Eliot of Harvard University and Nicholas Murray Butler of Columbia University were influential in encouraging the standardization of college admissions and in forming the College Entrance Examination Board.
The College Entrance Examination Board's membership was comprised of representatives from institutions both in higher and secondary education. The membership initially included twelve of the most elite and prestigious institutions of higher education in the country and representatives from five secondary schools. The College Board also included four women's college leaders. However, the College Board remained a small association with under 25 member institutions in its early years.
Founding Institutional Members of the College Board:
- Barnard College
- Bryn Mawr College
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- The Johns Hopkins University
- New York University
- Rutgers College
- Swathmore College
- Union College
- University of Pennsylvania
- Vassar College
- Women's College of Baltimore(now Goucher College)
The College Board began as a regional organization and grew into a national organization. In 1900, member institutions were confined to the middle-Atlantic states. By 1901, the College Board expanded its geographic reach to include the New England region. By 1903, institutions in every region of the country were eligible for membership. The revised membership requirements of 1906 situated the College Board as a standard-setting organization.
Institutional Standards for College Board Membership
- The elimination of preparatory departments
- The existence of libraries and laboratories
- The specialization of faculty
- An endowment for undergraduates
