A statement given by George Shinn, chairman of the board, outlined plans for the enrollment of both female transfer and first-year students starting the fall of 1975. Women would comprise a third of the entering class initially, after which there would be re-assessment to determine how best to achieve the objective of admitting students without consideration of gender.
In an editorial reflecting the overwhelming opinion of the student body, The Amherst Student hailed the formal acceptance of females to the student body. "Hallelujah! The Trustees' decision to make Amherst a college dedicated to the education of men and women represents an affirmation of and commitment to the highest ideals of the liberal arts-educational quality and social enlightenment ... Wabash, Haverford, West Point-it's nice to say goodbye." Later that day, a Radcliffe sophomore became the first woman to request an application under the resolution's provisions.
The resolution was the culmination of a study initiated in 1969 that ended with a student-led resolution supporting coeducation. In 1973, the board of trustees were divided on the issue, describing itself as "sharply divided." This infuriated students and faculty alike, leading to outspoken demands for an explanation and action to rectify the situation. This had followed a recommendation by Ward to the board for Amherst to become a coeducational institution.
That the demonstrations of outrage after the recommendation had been stalled clearly illustrated that Ward's views were widely shared. Through brewing dissatisfaction on the part of students and faculty alike, the Board was made to see that there could be no more vacillation. By the fall of the following year, 152 years of male-only education would come to an end amidst celebration of a new era.