The Marquette campus may be bubbling over with co-eds right now, but that was not the case when the university first opened in 1881.

For almost 30 years the university was comprised solely of male students. However, in 1909 a call was put out to begin educating female students.

That year, Marquette became the first Jesuit university in the United States to admit women.

Matt Blessing, head of the department of special collections and university archives for Raynor Memorial Libraries, said the university's president at the time, the Rev. James McCabe, made the first move for co-education after a report said that nuns teaching in parochial schools needed a better education.

"McCabe received this report, that Catholic parochial education — elementary and high school — in Wisconsin was going to suffer if we didn't figure out a way to give nuns a college education, and that was just a report," said Thomas Jablonsky, director of the Institute for Urban Life and associate professor of history.

"McCabe took it more seriously and decided to breach every tradition in higher education, Jesuit education, to admit laywomen and nuns — nuns were most important," he said. "In this violation of this tradition, (admitting women filled) what he felt was a need. Marquette was the only university in Wisconsin that could address this situation."

This report came to McCabe just as the spring semester of 1909 was finishing up. Marquette had already made steps to start summer courses, which was a first for Jesuit higher education. McCabe decided it was the perfect time to educate women as well.

According to the "Story of Marquette University" by the Rev. Raphael N. Hamilton, "the nuns would best be able to study during the summer recess, while free from their grade-school teaching duties; none of the boys would think of spoiling their vacation by taking classes at that time; therefore, bring in some willing sisters when the campus was ordinarily deserted, rush them through their training, let them start the colleges for women; and the problem would be solved."

In reality, McCabe had made a quick solution to one problem, while other problem would soon surface. The Jesuits took vows of obedience, which entails a certain hierarchy in the order. McCabe reported to the provincial of his order, Jablonsky said.

"The provincial, (the Rev. R.J.) Meyer, had been president of Marquette in the early 1900s and was a strict traditionalist," Jablonsky said. "He wanted no change from the past. Admitting women was one of the most offensive changes. He gave orders for Father McCabe to stop, shut the whole program down. Father McCabe appeals over that decision to the Father General in Rome."

Blessing said the decision from Rome took more time than expected, during which time the university continued to educate women. The official word did not come until 1912.

"The Secretary General of the Jesuits replied in (1912) basically saying you've been granting degrees for a couple years now, we're not going to rescind any and they granted Marquette permission to educate women," Blessing said.

By then, Marquette had been teaching women during the summer for almost three years. But women had already been allowed in the College of Journalism when it was established in 1910.

"It would seem that the journalism program should have caused more controversy, but that doesn't appear to be the case," Jablonsky said. "Somehow just the opening of the main college building to men and women at the same time seemed to have been the greatest offense. By the time women were taking journalism classes, it doesn't seem to be the big deal."

Marquette allowed women into its educational program, but the university had been affiliated with other colleges in the area that were already admitting women.

"Marquette was affiliated with private medical colleges and those medical colleges included nursing programs that were based in hospitals," Blessing said. "The (course) catalogs specifically tell the nurses that the classes are in hospitals (and) that they are not to be attending classes at the Marquette campus. Most people date co-ed as a policy matter beginning in the summer of 1909 on campus."

After Rome gave its official permission, nuns and female students were graduating with bachelor's degrees.

"Within a few years nuns graduated with bachelor's degrees and the other Jesuit schools slowly followed Marquette's example and some waited until well after World War II," Jablonsky said. "And the rest is history."

Hamilton said in the "Story of Marquette University" that by 1917, "375 members of the weaker sex were included in the total enrollment."