History of UGA Women's Studies

In 1975 as the academic phenomenon of Women's Studies spread rapidly across campuses, a group of faculty members brought their interests to light and began discussing the need for such a program of study at the University of Georgia. 

As ideas for the program developed, initial courses were discussed, a letter asking for advice and information was sent to other Women's Studies Programs.  On January 28, 1976 the Honorable Louise McBee, who was then Assistant Vice President for Instruction, assembled an advisory committee to develop an undergraduate certificate in Women's Studies. This original advisory committee included members Nelle Scholz, Jack Balswick, Maija Blaubergs, Emily Calhoun, Frank Fabris, Margaret Holt, Sharon Price-Bonham, Ginny Rustin, Vicki Thomas, and Sue Zimmerman.  Additional members were added in February 1976 including Karen Calhoun, Charles Darby, and Shanna Richman. 

April 12, 1976 a story ran in the University of Georgia Community News that a new program in Women's Studies was being developed.  The article specified that the "first courses should be offered in either summer or fall quarters."  However, the certificate program was not to be passed by the Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee until April 20,1977. 

With the establishment of the undergraduate certificate program came the formation of a steering committee and the appointment of a program coordinator.  In June1977 Dr. Maija Blaubergs became the coordinator of the Women's Studies Program, and the first two courses were offered in summer 1977.  However, in 1978 Maija Blaubergs was denied promotion and tenure, and she subsequently sued the University for sex discrimination, citing her role in the Women's Studies Program as the reason her promotion and tenure were denied. The university settled this case out of court. 

The coordinator of the program after Maija Blaubergs was Dr. Deborah Herman, a temporary instructor in the History Department. The Program operated successfully from 1977 until 1983. During those years the Women's Studies Program had an administrative structure, including a coordinator, a secretary, and a steering committee. The Program operated on a budget allocated by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Program offered 14 courses, a certificate program, and a lecture and colloquia series. 

After Deborah Herman left the university in the early 1980s, the Program was turned over to Arts & Sciences along with several other interdisciplinary studies certificates, including African-American Studies and Medieval Studies. And the Women's Studies Program had its first and only male coordinator, Dr. Robert Johns, an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Women's Studies certificate stayed on the books at this time, but it is believed that only one student received a certificate during this phase of the program. 

By 1987, a faculty committee was meeting regularly to lay the groundwork for the revitalized program. At this time, Heather Kleiner was made acting coordinator of the program for ten hours a week in addition to her job as an advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences.  In 1988 five women submitted a proposal to then president Charles Knapp to revitalize the Women's Studies Program. When it was approved, and all the dust settled, Pat Del Rey was named director and Heather Kleiner became her assistant. The new program reported to Vice President for Academic Affairs, Bill Prokasy, and found a home for many years on the second floor of the library. By May 1988 the program had seven candidates for the certificate. 

In March 1989, the WS prefix for courses in the program was sought and obtained from the University Curriculum Committee.  Just one full year after the program was reinstated, 15 undergraduate students were enrolled in the certificate program. In August, Patricia Thruston was awarded the first  undergraduate certificate. 

Patricia Thruston receives the first undergraduate certificate,
presented by Pat Del Rey.

The first course under the newly obtained WS prefix, independent of other departments, was offered in Spring 1990--Introduction to Women's Studies--and enrolled 32 students.  Five additional courses were approved under this WS prefix:  Issues in Women's Health, Sport and the American Woman, Introduction to Feminist Theory, Special Topics in Women's Studies, and Directed Readings in Women's Studies.  By July 1990 three undergraduate certificates had been awarded and an Interdisciplinary degree program major in Women's Studies had been approved. 

In Fall 1990, the first faculty members with joint appointments in Women's Studies were hired. These were Drs. Miranda Pollard, who is currently the most senior member of the WSP faculty, Josephine Beoku-Betts, and Cindy Jenefsky.  By this time there were 59 affiliated faculty across campus and student enrollment continued to rise. 

The 20-hour minor was offered Fall 1991 and the graduate certificate was implemented at the beginning of 1992.  The first two graduate certificates were conferred Winter 1992 to Elizabeth Tisdell and Trish Shewokis.  Joy Beasley became the first student to complete a minor in Spring 1993. 

The WSP steadily continued to grow in numbers of courses, faculty, and students throughout the 1990s.  By Summer 2000 116 undergraduate certificates, ten minors, four Inter Disciplinary Studies major degrees, two Honors Interdisciplinary Studies major degrees, and 51 graduate certificates had been conferred.  The A.B. degree was approved in 2000. 

With the retirement of Pat Del Rey in 2001, Dr. Patricia H. Miller took over the position of director.  On May 11, 2002 the first students graduated with an A.B. degree in Women's Studies: 

Margaret Mitchell, Kathryn Rhodes, Lotus Seeley, Suzanne Scoggins, and Lindsay Brown.

(from the online history compiled by Beth Yash, A.B. in Women's Studies 2002)