{"id":5347,"date":"2016-09-20T12:43:02","date_gmt":"2016-09-20T16:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/?p=5347"},"modified":"2019-11-13T14:54:58","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T19:54:58","slug":"the-women-pioneers-of-saint-peters-university-were-celebrated-at-an-exhibit-opening-and-panel-discussion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2016\/09\/20\/the-women-pioneers-of-saint-peters-university-were-celebrated-at-an-exhibit-opening-and-panel-discussion\/","title":{"rendered":"The Women Pioneers of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s University Day Session Share Their Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe were educated to compete with everyone and anyone.\u201d \u2013Carol Bastek, Ed.D. \u201970<\/em><\/p>\n

In February 1965, at a board of trustees meeting, there was a unanimous vote to investigate the possibility of admitting \u201cgirls\u201d into the Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s University day session. Today, 50 years later, the University celebrates the anniversary of the admission of women<\/em> to the day session. At that February board meeting, a decision was made to, \u201ctake 100 girls<\/em> who would be the same quality of the best in the arts and sciences.\u201d These women<\/em> not only met the expectations to be as \u201cthe same quality\u201d of their male counterparts, but exceeded them living successful lives on campus and far beyond. The first cohort of women to enter the University shattered expectations, reaped success and became true pioneers for women at Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s. In fact, four years later in 1970, seven women graduated manga cum laude. <\/em>A recent event celebrating the women pioneers of 1966 also marked the opening of an exhibit in The Theresa and Edward O\u2019Toole Library, 1966-1970: When Women Changed Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s Forever<\/em>. A panel discussion accompanied the exhibit opening.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas it confluence of circumstances or conscious choice that brought us to Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s?\u201d Ann-Marie Nazzaro, Ph.D. \u201970, panel moderator asked. Each woman answered that question differently, but a few things were certain. These women were smart, resilient and they graduated from Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s with tools that helped them become \u201cwomen for others.\u201d Dr. Nazzaro, who has gone on to earn advanced degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, said, \u201cÂ鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s gave me such a boost and a great base.\u201c Dr. Nazzaro and the other panelists shared their unique stories about their time at Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s.<\/p>\n

One panelist, Kathleen N. Monahan, Ph.D. \u201970, who went from Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s to get her master\u2019s degree and her doctoral degree in English literature and who now teaches at the University, said she had only one female professor while she was in school. This prompted her to do some research on the topic. Since Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s admitted women, the number in the student body grew rapidly. However, the number of females on faculty grew more slowly, hovering around 10 percent for many years.<\/p>\n

Two women faculty members at the time spoke on the panel, Eugenia M. Palmegiano, Ph.D., J.D., professor emerita <\/em>of history; and Eileen Poiani, Ph.D., professor emerita <\/em>of mathematics and current special assistant to the president. Coming to Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s in 1967, Dr. Poiani was the first woman professor in the math department. Recruited by the head of the history department, and entering with the first wave of women in the day session in \u201966, Dr. Palmegiano, the first woman to earn a doctorate in history from Rutgers University, was one of the first women to teach at Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s. The head of the history department at the time, Thaddeus Tuleja, Ph.D., recognized that now there would be women students, his department needed women professors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were few in number, but they were smart, they embodied Jesuit ideals and they excelled above their peers,\u201d Dr. Palmegiano said of her students.<\/p>\n

Carol Bastek, Ed.D. \u201970, who now gives back to the University through a scholarship, and for whom the honors house is named, said she could feel the confidence Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s had in the fact that women would contribute to the academic reputation of the school. \u201cÂ鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s had a vision to give women an education,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were pioneers of that vision. We were stalwart and intrepid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karen Gutch \u201968 agrees with her. Gutch\u2019s experience at Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s was a bit different from the other women because she transferred from the night school. She already had credits and started the day school as an upperclass member, meaning that she took classes with mostly, if not all, men. She said she was determined; she always sat in the front, eager to learn even if she was the only female in the class. \u201cI would leave class and run to the library to do research. I paid my tuition and nothing was stopping me,\u201d Gutch said. Although it was hard being the only female in class some days, Gutch persevered, as did Michele Cahill \u201970.<\/p>\n

Cahill said she faced some adversity while attending the University. She was tripped, she was made fun of, she was harassed at times, but none of that stopped her. She said she and the other women would congregate in the Women\u2019s Lounge in McDermott Hall. This lounge was where they formed bonds and lifelong friendships that have lasted until this day. The women of the University united here and provided each other a support system.<\/p>\n

Dr. Nazzaro concluded the panel by saying, \u201cFor many of us the opening of our worlds did not stop with college\u2014many of us went on to graduate schools with our heads held high because of what we received at Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s. When I went on to graduate school, I was prepared academically and mentally. Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s was an incubator for thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibit, 1966-1970:\u00a0When Women Changed Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s Forever<\/em> curated by Librarian Ilona MacNamara is on display in The Theresa and Edward O\u2019Toole Library and includes images and documents from the University Archives. Click here<\/a>\u00a0for a slide show and more information about the exhibit.<\/p>\n

On September 24, 2016, Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s University celebrated the 50th anniversary of women being admitted to the traditional day session. Click here<\/a>\u00a0to see pictures from the event.<\/p>\n\n\t\t