The Women's Faculty Club of the University of Pennsylvania records, 1947-1981.

Format:

Archive

Author/Creator:

University of Pennsylvania. Women's Faculty Club, creator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

University of Pennsylvania.

Women in higher education.

Women educators.

Universities and colleges.

Women--Societies and clubs.

Women.

Genre:

correspondence

minutes (administrative records)

clippings

directories

Physical Description:

1 box (1.28 cubic feet)

Arrangement:

Records are arranged chronologically.

Place of Publication:

1947-1981.

Biography/History:

The Women's Faculty Club was founded on May 18th, 1948, when "Seventy-two women had dinner together in Sergeant Hall." According to one document, written in 1979 by "D.B.M.S." and simply titled, "Women's Faculty Club," a steering committee was formed two months earlier, on March 15, 1948, to begin the work needed to establish the club, including the writing of a constitution and by-laws. The "purpose and aims" of the club were to "encourage good fellowship among professional women on campus," to provide opportunities for the "free interchange of ideas," to recognize the "distinguished accomplishments of women in all fields of endeavor," and to give women students the opportunity to meet "women whose attainments merit attention." It is likely that D.B.M.S. was Dr. Mary Dwight B. McNair Scott (1907-1995), an emeritus professor of biochemistry at the School of Veterinary Medicine and a former member of the Women's Faculty Club. The document goes on to explain as a "bit of background" to the club's creation that in her time as a Penn graduate student in the years prior to the Second World War, she was "used to being the only girl among many men, working hard to prove myself and enjoying it," but that she, "had no time or inclination to seek out other women who were doing the same sort of thing." Therefore, she continues, it came as a surprise in 1947 when the Dean of Women, Althea Hottel, gave a speech outlining that there were 2,301 women students at Penn, along with 145 women instructors, out of which 10 were tenured. A "Dear Colleague" letter written in October, 1976, by the club's officers, points out that "The Women's Faculty Club is not affiliated with the University Faculty Club" and that "all academic and professional women, including graduate students who act as teaching and research assistants" were eligible for membership. The letter goes on to describe motivations and sentiments that guide the organization: "For many years women on this large campus have complained of difficulty in meeting other University women and of finding an opportunity to explore issues of mutual concern. Indeed, although women have been increasingly active in the life of the University of Pennsylvania in recent years, there has been little accurate information on the nature and extent of their professional activities. The Women's Faculty Club works through meetings, lectures, discussions and committees to provide answers to these needs - to give women on campus an opportunity to meet, to exchange ideas and to study special problems that cut across departmental lines." The Women's Faculty Club aimed to have monthly meetings featuring various programming of interest to its membership. A list of programs offered from 1948 to 1965 includes speakers, panel discussions, and musical performances. The club also awarded prizes and scholarships, compiled lists of publications written by members, and publicized the accomplishments of women on campus. The records of the Women's Faculty Club extend only to 1981, but it appears to have remained an active organization throughout the 1980s as seen by notices that continued to be published in the University of Pennsylvania Almanac. It appears that the club was renamed to the Association of Women Faculty and Administrators sometime in the 1990s, although by the 2000s it seems that this either merged into or was renamed again to become the Penn Professional Women's Network. Finally, the present-day Penn Arts & Sciences' Professional Women's Alliance claims to have evolved from the former Penn Professional Women's Network.

Summary:

The bulk of this collection is comprised of meeting minutes of the Executive Committee of the Women's Faculty Club and related correspondence. The minutes and related correspondence cover topics such as event planning, membership matters, award nominations, and surveys. Also included are copies of the club's constitution and by-laws, directories, notices, and membership lists, and historical essays.

OCLC:

1572163009