A Beckoning: 1945–1960

The period from 1945 to 1960 was an age of general prosperity for many Americans. It was a time of hard work, the hands-on building of infrastructure, conservative values, and the promise of progress, all within a framework of great opportunity. World War II was over, and except for the loss of thousands of irreplaceable lives, sacrificed to preserve America’s freedoms, the United States itself had emerged virtually unscathed. A new optimism, a rise in entrepreneurship, and growing economic security, gave birth to businesses, organizations, and industries across the nation. Along with progress came a burgeoning need for higher education. A college degree was no longer for the privileged few, but increasingly an expectation for American families. As colleges and universities stepped up to meet the demand, they further developed the world’s greatest system of higher learning, which in turn attracted increasing numbers of international students and scholars. Far-reaching international education initiatives were developed, such as the Fulbright Program, which would turn the ruins of war into exchange scholarships.