Celebrating 50 years of Women at Saint Michael’s College
The late 60鈥檚 and early 70鈥檚 were a time of unprecedented demographic shifts on college and university campuses around the country and Saint Michael鈥檚 was no exception. In the fall of 1970, after President Bernard L. Boutin proposed admitting women, and with Trustee approval, 23 women enrolled as full-time students living together in what is today known as Linnehan Hall on the former North Campus.
The result was a paradigm shift in the makeup of the community and culture of Saint Michael鈥檚 College. From that first cohort of 23 women, the number jumped to 124 the following fall and 227 in the fall of 1972, an increase of nearly 900 percent in just two years. Today, women make up more than half of the student body and have found success and accolades in every corner of campus life.
Surprisingly, they were not the first female students at Saint Michael鈥檚. The timeline below showcases the history of women at the College and the impact they continue to have today. We invite you to visit this page often as we begin our year-long celebration of the 50th Anniversary of coeducation at Saint Michael’s College. Scroll down to see upcoming events that mark this milestone as well as the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.
For more information, email Angie Armour ’99 M’09, director for alumni and family engagement
Chair, 50th Anniversary of Women at Saint Michael’s College Committee
Event Calendar
SMC Reads
Ung presents on third book
Author, activist, and lecturer Loung Ung 鈥93 gave a moving SMC Reads presentation on her third book, Lulu in the Sky, as part of the 50th Anniversary of Women at SMC program on May 19.
Celebrate!
International Women's Day
Saint Michael鈥檚 College is celebrating International Women鈥檚 Day and the contributions that outstanding women make to our community each and every day. Read the stories from women in our community and we hope their stories will inspire you as much as they have inspired us.
Negotiating for Women 101
As part of the College鈥檚 yearlong 50th Anniversary of Women at Saint Michael鈥檚 celebration, Susan Rietano Davey 鈥83 will give a talk about the importance of women negotiating for what they want and need in the workplace. All female current students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.
First Female Purple Knights Remember SMC
Check out the recording of our virtual roundtable event to hear from members of the first coed class as they talk about the triumphs and challenges they faced at a previously all-male institution. This event was the kick-off for the 50th Anniversary of Women at Saint Michael鈥檚 celebration.
History of Women鈥檚 Athletics at SMC
Watch a roundtable discussion about the early days of women鈥檚 athletics at SMC, with Associate Athletic Director Meggan Dulude 鈥07, long-time administrator/head coach Sue Duprat, three-sport star/head coach Kathy O鈥橬eil 鈥81, and basketball stars Pam Batalis 鈥85 and Amy Molina 鈥93.
A timeline of female firsts at Saint Michael鈥檚 College
The following was written by SMC librarian and archivist Liz Scott.
1904
Saint Michael鈥檚 College opens its doors. 听Three Daughters of the Holy Ghost traveled from France and perform the domestic tasks necessary for housing and feeding people.听 They cook, clean, and do laundry for both priests and students.
Nuns pose on the porch of Founders Hall.
1921
A handful of Women Religious take a full schedule of college classes at Saint Michael鈥檚. While they do not take courses alongside male students, their curriculum is similar and they are taught by some of the same professors.
1925
Sr. Mary Emmanuel, Sr. Mary Jerome, Sr. Mary Loyola, and Sr. Mary Mechtilde receive A.B. degrees from St. Joseph鈥檚 Hall of Saint Michael鈥檚 College. Women would not receive bachelor鈥檚 degrees again until 1972.
1931
Sister Mary Gonzaga receives an M.S. from Saint Michael鈥檚. The subject of her thesis is 鈥淭he Apollonian Problem.鈥 It is the second M.S. granted by the college.
Elsa Kiel Sichel
1942
Elsa Kiel Sichel is the first female faculty member. 听She teaches biology from 1942-1943, but, as was true with many women working in wartime, she was replaced by a man once they started returning from WWII placements.
1945
Although Religious Women had been earning Master鈥檚 degrees since 1931, Eileen McGinley鈥檚 Master of Education is notable, as she is the first lay woman to earn a degree at Saint Michael鈥檚.
1949
鈥淟adies of Saint Michael鈥檚鈥 begins as a group for the wives of the students who came to campus with the GI Bill.听 Many of the families lived on campus, and the club was a welcome outlet.听 Wives of faculty and staff also participated, and the club was a very visible presence welcoming new students and their families at the beginning of the year and hosting periodic events for many years.
1952
Nursing students at nearby Fanny Allen Hospital take science courses on campus.听 This arrangement continues until 1968.
Dr. Alice Thayer
1954
–Dr. Alice Thayer is the first woman hired to teach on campus after World War II. She teaches in the English Language program until 2001, when she retired as Professor Emerita.
–The English Language program accepts female students.
1969
–Maureen McNamara becomes the first female administrator when she is named Registrar.听 After beginning as a secretary in 1947, McNamara received various promotions, serving as Assistant Registrar and later as Coordinator of Extension Services and Graduate Programs before becoming Registrar.
–Dr. Marie Henault becomes the first woman to chair an academic department 鈥揈nglish. There is a senior class award named in her honor.
1970
Saint Michael鈥檚 admitted women as full-time undergraduate students.听 Although admissions staff promised 100 women, only 23 began in the fall of 1970. (Some records say 26 鈥 with three living off campus).听 They made up slightly more than 2% of the undergraduates.听 Six women are listed among Faculty in the 1970-71 catalog.
1972
-The first female undergraduates receive their bachelor’s degrees from Saint Michael’s.
-Title IX is a federal civil rights act that prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities.听 While it is far 鈥搑eaching, one of the most immediate effects at Saint Michael鈥檚 was that athletic offerings for women were vastly expanded.
Sue Duprat with former St. Mike’s athletic director Ed Markey
1976
听becomes the College鈥檚 first female full-time member of the athletic department. She鈥檚 hired as coordinator of women鈥檚 athletics, coach of three sports (field hockey, basketball, softball), and advisor for cheerleading.
Professor Emerita Carey Kaplan and former Communications Director Buff Lindau co-organized the Women in Society Symposium.
1979
–The Women in Society Symposium, organized by Dr. Buff Lindau and Dr. Carrie Kaplan, draws large crowds for a series of lectures, panels and other events by famous (and not yet famous) authors, thinkers, and artists on a broad range of topics related to women.听 The New York Times publicizes it in a half-page article.
–Eileen O鈥橞rien 鈥81 is the first female on the Student Association Executive Board.
1980
Molly Dwyer 鈥81 is elected Student Association president.听 All members of the Executive Committee were female.
1980
After a successful campaign spearheaded by Molly Dwyer, The Michaelman changed its name to The Defender. The first issue was printed Sept. 12, 1980.
1981
–The Early Learning Center, the College鈥檚 childcare center, opens on North campus.听 On campus childcare was increasingly important as more women joined the Saint Michael鈥檚 community.
–Andrea Cremins 鈥81 is the first female editor of the 1981 Hilltop yearbook.
1990
Gender Studies becomes a minor.
Dr. Susan Summerfield
1991
In January 1991, Dr. Susan Summerfield of the Fine Arts Department became the first Dean of the Faculty.听 She was the only woman to hold that position until Dr. Tara Natarajan became Dean in 2019.
1992
Nancy Fink 鈥77 becomes first female president of the Saint Michael鈥檚 College Alumni Association. She goes on to serve as a Trustee.
1997
Geri Knortz is named Saint Michael鈥檚 first female Athletic Director.听 At the time, only 12% of athletic directors in NCAA Division II schools were female. She succeeds long-time AD Ed Markey 鈥51.
1998
Dr. Jan Sheeran becomes first female Provost, the chief academic officer of the College, in July 1998.
2001
The Women鈥檚 Center opens on campus.
Loung Ung
2002
Award-winning author and political activist Loung Ung 鈥93 (right) is the first woman inducted into the College鈥檚 Academic Hall of Fame.
2007听
Jamila Headley ’07, originally from Barbados, is the College’s first female Rhodes Scholar recipient and goes on to earn her Ph.D. from Oxford University.
President Lorraine Sterritt
2018
In September 2018, Dr. Lorraine Sterritt was inaugurated as the 17th president of Saint Michael鈥檚 College.
2020
Although the 2020 numbers are not yet calculated, in the last academic year a little over 54% of the student body and 46% of faculty were female.