2001 A Year in Review

2001 is a year most Americans will not forget. The year the United States experienced its worst act of domestic terrorism, claiming the lives of approximately 4,000 to 5,000 people. Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, college communities across the country united to understand the national tragedy. On the heels of the attacks, congressional offices on Capitol Hill were shut down as anthrax-contaminated mail prompted thorough testing and cleanup of some of the congressional offices, delaying the completion of education funding bills. In addition, lawmakers debated legislation that would make it more difficult for foreign students to enroll in U.S. colleges and universities. The events of Sept. 11 affected all aspects of American life.
Although the terrorist attacks and the subsequent retaliation in Afghanistan dominated the headlines for the latter part of the year, there were many significant events and milestones in higher education throughout 2001.
Lawsuits against universities for using race as a factor in admissions continued to keep schools such as the universities of Michigan, Georgia, Washington and Texas in the courts. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the University of Texas' Hopwood case, as well as the University of Washington's law school case. Many in the education, legal and civil rights communities believe it's just a matter of time before the high court will have to hear one of the cases, with the University of Michigan's cases being the most likely.
In addition, Republicans and Democrats truly started off the year on the wrong side of the aisle as some Democrats, including Congressional Black Caucus members, criticized the GOP's plan to assign historically Black colleges and universities, as well as Hispanic-serving institutions, to a subcommittee that also oversaw juvenile justice and child abuse — separating the minority-serving institutions from other postsecondary education programs. The dispute was settled following national exposure and pressure from the CBC.
As monetary donations to higher education institutions continue to increase, the California Institute of Technology received $600 million from Intel co-founder, Gordon Moore, making it the largest donation to date to an institution of higher learning.
There are certainly many more significant events to list, but following are some highlights from 2001.