COLLEGE TOWN, FL — Florida State became a coeducational university in 1947, driven by the GI Bill and the return of World War II veterans.
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From a small women's college to one of the nation's largest public universities, Florida State University's transformation reflects a much larger chapter in America's story following World War II.
Before 1947, there was no co-ed campus, no modern university as students know it today, and no FSU football program.
Football is one of the most recognizable traditions in Tallahassee. But before World War II, Florida State was known as Florida State College for Women.
"It was an all-women's college. It's one of the largest women's colleges in the country... one of the legacies is we're really strong in the arts, partly because of that legacy of being a women's college," Dr. Kurt Piehler said.
Piehler is an associate professor of history and director of the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience at FSU.
At the start of World War II, Tallahassee was a much smaller community, with roughly 25,000 residents. But the end of the war would bring dramatic change not only to Florida State, but to higher education across America.
As veterans returned home, the GI Bill opened the door for millions of Americans to pursue a college education, creating demand for universities nationwide to expand.
"There was a phone call from somebody in D.C. to FSU leadership that said, 'Over the weekend we've got to switch things up.' And they were able to accomplish that," Ryan Owens said.
Owens is a Ph.D., director of the IGC and professor of political science at FSU.
University leaders say institutions across the country moved quickly to accommodate returning veterans, helping them transition from military service back into civilian life.
In 1947, Florida State College for Women became coeducational and was renamed Florida State University, marking a turning point in the school's history.
"With the GI Bill, you get a real meritocracy at a lot of universities, including Florida State. Also, to meet the demand of all these new veterans, you have a massive expansion in hiring and in the case of Florida State, it really leads to the growth of the sciences," Piehler said.
The changes taking place at Florida State reflected a broader transformation happening across America, as higher education became more accessible to returning veterans and their families.
"The experience from the post-World War II generation showed us that you can take people who were drafted in the military from all walks of life, they come back, they will have learned something there, they get into higher education, and they can obtain skills necessary to climb that social ladder," Owens said.
University leaders say the lessons from that generation still resonate today, showing how education can create opportunity and strengthen communities for decades to come.
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