From the perspective of someone who attended an all-male prep school and then Lehigh, which was all-male my first two years, I feel I missed out on a well-rounded education. There was a definite social awkwardness that stayed with me—and I think the frat atmosphere still holds a lot of men back in their social development. I did go on to a coed graduate program and a coed law school, and appreciated the difference.
As for how I thought about women as a twenty-year-old, my mom was a working woman and a business owner, so growing up with a great respect for her business acumen and overall smarts, my expectations were perhaps on the "high" side for any interactions with women as fellow students. My daughter graduated from Lehigh in 2018, so I got an up-close and personal view of Lehigh today. Lehigh has certainly changed.
By virtue of the fact that I received the request to provide my reflection on this anniversary from Jim Duane, my freshman roommate, you can see that relationships that began at Lehigh over 50 years ago do remain and are cherished.
Learn more about Soaring Together: 50 Years of Coeducation >