U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for December 1

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1: COED COLLEGES  

Profile America -- Wednesday, December 1st.  Colleges and universities with both male and female students are the norm today -- but in 1833, only a few women went to college and the idea of coed classes was a social innovation.  On this date that year, Oberlin College in Ohio opened its doors to both sexes.  At the time, the school had 44 students -- 29 men and 15 women.  Now, Oberlin has a student body of close to 3,000, who enjoy one of the most comprehensive libraries of any college in the nation.  For many decades, more males attended college than females. Today, 57 percent of all students in higher education are women -- nearing 11 million, compared with just over 8 million men.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  www.oberlin.edu/external/EOG/OberlinTimeline.html

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 216

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau