Dean of women facts for kids

The dean of women was an important job at colleges and universities in the United States. This person was in charge of looking after the female students. They helped with student life and made sure women had a good experience. In the past, this role had other names like "preceptress" or "lady principal."

For many years, from the 1890s to the 1960s, these deans were common. Sometimes there was also a "Dean of Men." They usually reported directly to the college president. Later, in the 1900s, most of these jobs changed. They became part of a bigger role called the Dean of Students.

Why the Dean of Women Role Started

The idea for the Dean of Women role came from a need to help women in coeducational universities. Early college leaders were used to schools just for boys. When girls started attending, they wanted someone to look after them.

The very first version of this job was called a "matron." This woman oversaw dorms for female students in the 1870s and 1880s. As more and more women went to college, a bigger role was needed. The Dean of Women helped keep male and female students somewhat separate. They also made sure women's studies and grades stayed at a high level.

Becoming a Real Profession

At first, the duties of a dean of women were not set in stone. But in the early 1900s, it quickly became a proper profession. The first meeting for deans and advisers of women happened in 1903.

In 1915, the first book about this job was published. It was called The Dean of Women by Lois Rosenberry. A year later, in 1916, the National Association of Deans of Women was formed. By 1925, there were over 300 deans of women in American colleges.

In 1935, Lucy Diggs Slowe started a separate group. This was for African-American deans of women. She did this because the main association often held meetings in hotels that did not allow Black people.

The Role Changes Over Time

The job of dean of women started to change in the mid-1900s. Sarah Blanding noticed this in 1946. She saw that deans of women were reporting to male leaders. These male leaders were in charge of all student affairs.

By 1962, only 30% of deans of women reported directly to the college president. By the 1970s, the job itself was quite rare.

Most deans of women were women. So, when these jobs disappeared, fewer women held leadership roles in colleges. The new deans of students who took over were mostly men. By the late 1980s, less than 20% of deans of students were female.

Famous Deans of Women

Here are some notable women who held this important role:

• Thyrsa Amos, University of Pittsburgh
• Sarah Gibson Blanding, University of Kentucky
• Ada Comstock, University of Minnesota
• Eunice Hilton, Syracuse University
• Annie Marion MacLean, Shimer College and Stetson University
• Lucy Sprague Mitchell, University of California Berkeley
• Alice Freeman Palmer, University of Chicago (the first Dean of Women in the United States)
• Lucy Diggs Slowe, Howard University
• Lucy Ward Stebbins, University of California Berkeley
• Marion Talbot, University of Chicago
• Mildred Bertha Thurow Tate, Virginia Tech
• Emily Taylor, University of Kansas
• Josephine Turpin Washington, Wilberforce University
• Frances Willard, Northwestern University