An historiographical analysis of the impact of the 1960s on institutions of higher education in metropolitan Boise, Idaho

This dissertation traces the history of three of the colleges in Idaho's Treasure Valley during the 1960s: Boise State University (BSU), the College of Idaho (C of I), and Northwest Nazarene University (NNU). The time period examined in the study begins with the Soviet launch of Sputnik in late 1957 and ends with the deaths of students during demonstrations at Kent State University in May, 1970. Areas of focus include how student protest and other activities of the period affected the campuses the impact of a meta-narrative comprised of anti-intellectualism, post-McCarthyism, and anarchism/anti-statism in Idaho on the institutions how college leadership responded to the events of the period and the overall impact of these events and forces on the three institutions. The study is a qualitative bounded case study couched within historiography and a period of time.The conclusion reached by this study is that these campuses were characterized by a business as usual atmosphere, especially for NNU. BSU emerged from the 1960s transformed from junior college to four-year status. The College of Idaho confronted certain indirect influences stemming from anti-intellectualism and post-McCarthyism and strove to maintain its intellectual and academic credentials through theatre, concerts, and other cultural offerings. The College of Idaho benefited from increased education spending and an expanded physical plant. Much like C of I and BSU, Northwest Nazarene University emerged from the decade of the 1960s with expanded and improved physical plant and increased commitment to its goal of remaining an institution of higher education firmly planted in its Christian beliefs.This study recommends more detailed studies of each university based on research into internal university documents such as budgets, minutes of meetings of the governing boards, and yearly enrollment figures for departments. Case studies of how university leaders at each institution worked with governing boards is also suggested. A further recommendation is to conduct studies of presidential papers using the case study approach to assess reaction of the leadership of each college to the events of the 1960s. Finally, this dissertation recommends studies of the implications of the decade of the 1960s in relation to institutional development in the 1970s, 1980s, and the 1990s.