The University of Pennsylvania. Association of Women Faculty and Administrators records, 1947-1993.

Format:

Archive

Author/Creator:

The University of Pennsylvania. Association of Women Faculty and Administrators, creator.

Contributor:

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

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

University of Pennsylvania.

Women in higher education.

Women college administrators.

Women educators.

Universities and colleges.

Women--Societies and clubs.

Women.

Genre:

correspondence

minutes (administrative records)

membership lists

agendas (administrative records)

Penn Provenance:

No control file exists for the Women's Faculty Club records. The records of the Association for Women Faculty and Administrators were donated to the University Archives (UARC) by Demie Kurz, Ph.D., Co-Director of the Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania in July 2014 (accession number 2014:33).

Physical Description:

2 boxes (1.65 cubic feet)

Arrangement:

Organized into two series: I. Women's Faculty Club II. Association of Women Faculty and Administrators.

Place of Publication:

1947-1993.

Biography/History:

The Association of Women Faculty and Administrators was originally founded on May 18th, 1948, as The Women's Faculty Club, 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." Continuing, D.B.M.S. notes that she, "had no time or inclination to seek out other women who were doing the same sort of thing," and therefore 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. 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 the motivations and sentiments that guided 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 published notices show that it remained active for some years beyond that. At some point in the mid-1980s, the Women's Faculty Club was renamed as the Association of Women Faculty and Administrators. No record was found to document exactly when or why this change was made, although it may have been made to better reflect the fact that the organization was never limited to only members of the faculty. Aside from the change in name, the Association of Women Faculty and Administrators carried on functioning with no other apparent differences from when it was known as the Women's Faculty Club. It is not clear why the records of the Association of Women Faculty and Administrators extend only until 1993. No organization currently exists under that name, but published references to the Alice Paul Awards being administered by the Penn Professional Women's Network in the 2000s suggests that the organization had continued under that name. According to the website of the present-day Penn Arts & Sciences' Professional Women's Alliance, they claim to have evolved from the former Penn Professional Women's Network.

Summary:

The records of the Association of Women Faculty and Administrators consists of two sets of records. The first is dated from 1947-1981 when the organization was known as the Women's Faculty Club, and these files are all organized under their own series. The second set of material dates from 1986-1993 when the organization was known as the Association of Women Faculty and Administrators, and these files are all organized under their own series. It is unknown why there is a gap of years from 1981 to 1986, and we do not know the precise year that the organization changed its name. The bulk of this collection is comprised of meeting minutes of the organization's Executive Committee and related correspondence. These files 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, membership lists, and historical essays. All files are arranged chronologically.

OCLC:

1593412109