Compiled by Heather Bridges, GA
November 2005

History of the Women’s Studies Program
When the Women’s Studies program director asked me to research the history of women’s studies at WKU, I expected to be searching through archives that were at least twenty-five years old. I pictured myself blowing dust off yellowed documents and studying pictures of bell-bottomed feminists from the 1960s. I was shocked to learn that the Women’s Studies Program is actually younger than I am!

The Women’s Studies Conference
Carol Crowe Carraco, who taught the first women’s history course as a special topics class in 1976, came up with the idea for a Women’s Studies Program in the mid 1980s. Women’s studies programs were springing up at universities throughout the United States, and Carraco thought WKU could benefit from the diversity women’s studies courses could provide. Ward Hellstrom, who was dean of Potter College at the time, advised Carraco to recruit other interested faculty members to serve on the first women’s studies committee. This group consisted of Lou-Ann Crouther, Doreen Geddes, Karen Tice, Katie Ward, Michael Ann Williams, Retta Poe, and Carol Crowe-Carraco. The committee members were eager to initiate a Women’s Studies Program immediately, but they realized that in order for women’s studies to be accepted at WKU, they would have to change the culture of the University because many faculty and administrators did not consider women’s studies a legitimate academic discipline. So in order to demonstrate to the WKU community the intellectual rigor and interdisciplinary nature of women’s studies, Carraco and her committee decided to sponsor a women’s studies conference. But first they had to raise money to fund the conference, since they did not receive any direct financial support from the University. Crowe applied for and received a grant from The Kentucky Foundation for Women, and Geddes contributed the fees from several workshops she conducted.

The theme of the first conference was “Bridging the Gender Gap” and focused on the disparities in male and female styles of communication. The women who ran the conference “threw their whole heart into it,” said Carraco, and as a result, it was a huge success. From 1988-1995 volunteers continued to staff and secure funding for annual Women’s Studies Conferences. Participants came from throughout the United States and as far away as Belgium, South Africa, and Italy to present their research and to hear such esteemed scholars as Patricia Hill Collins, bell hooks, and Annette Kolodny. Over the years, themes for the conferences varied, but the purpose of the conferences remained constant: to establish women’s studies as a legitimate academic discipline and to enlighten the university community about women’s issues.

Women’s Studies Program: Early Days
Following the first two conferences, Carraco and other members of the committee designed a proposal for a Women’s Studies Program, and the minor was added officially in the fall of 1990 (though it wasn't until 1993 that Karen Schneider and Katie Green wrote the proposal for the introductory course). Running the conferences and at the same time building an academic program, all on a volunteer basis was too much work for one person. So Carol Crowe-Carraco chaired the conferences for two more years, and Karen Tice ran the program for one semester. Then Ward took Karen’s place and eventually ran both the program and the conference with whatever help she could muster from other faculty. It soon became clear to Ward that in order for the program to grow, women’s studies courses needed to be approved for general education credit. Getting this approval past layers of academic committees was much more difficult than getting the Program initiated because many faculty and administrators were still not supportive. For two years Ward pushed to have the program’s core courses accepted for general education credit. Finally in the spring of 1994, in spite of continued resistance, the General Education Committee, the Potter College Curriculum Committee, and the Academic Council all agreed to accept these courses as legitimate components of a student’s general education.

Although those first years were a constant struggle for survival, that struggle found support from an unexpected source, a philanthropist from California with no tangible ties to the University. Valerie (Val) Scott, whose family had gained its wealth as owners of Kentucky coal mines, became interested in supporting organizations or programs that were helping Kentucky women. Cam Collins alerted Ward to the possibility of outside funding from an unnamed source, and Ward wrote a proposal for $10,000. When she received an inconspicuous personal check in her mailbox two days after the close of a conference, Ward first mistook the check for a $10 conference fee. She was stunned when she realized it was a $10,000 donation from Scott, who at the time, donated anonymously. Val continued to make five figure donations to Women’s Studies for the next several years. Ward says the money donated by Scott was “manna from heaven,” because it not only proved needed funding but it also gave her the courage to go on.

The response of students to Women’s Studies courses was another source of encouragement. From the very beginning, students enrolled in Women’s Studies classes were excited about the new perspectives they encountered in these courses. According to Ward, this material often “blew their minds.”

Women’s Studies: Institutionalization
Shortly after the core women’s studies courses were approved for general education credit, Ward was diagnosed with breast cancer and decided that she needed to step down as the Program’s Director. Ward’s decision a posed a challenge to the Women’s Studies Program: finding someone to step in and take a position that was largely voluntary. Ward approached Jimmie Price, who was a professor of public health, about becoming the new director. If Price didn’t take the position, there was a chance that the program would not survive, but Jimmie agreed, and became director in the fall of 1994. During Jimmie’s time as director, the program underwent several changes. It got its first real budget, adequate office space in the Wetherby Administration Building, and its first office assistant, Sharon Walker. Though the budget was small and Walker’s position only part-time, the assistance eased the workload. Jimmie conducted the women’s conference in the fall of 1994 and again in 1995, but by that time, she realized that running the conference used up most of women’s studies’ resources, in terms of money, personnel, and good-will volunteers, so at the final session of the 1995 conference, she announced that this would be the last women’s studies conference. The participants were disappointed by this decision, and on the spot, non-Western academics offered donations to keep it going, but Jimmie knew that money wasn't her only problem. She could not nurture the Program and at the same time run the conference—together they just took too much of the Program’s meager resources. Ward supported Price in this decision; in fact, she encouraged Jimmie to discontinue the conferences in 1994, since they had already achieved their purpose—to educate the campus about women’s studies. The Program stayed in Wetherby until 1996, when it moved to Van Meter. In 1996, Price got approval for a new faculty line: a joint appointment in English and women’s studies. Jane Olmsted, who had just earned her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota, became assistant director and taught core courses as well as courses in English, her “home” department. Jane Olmsted commented that she felt the job was written for her because it combined her three loves: English, women’s studies, and Kentucky. Olmsted, who had lived in Kentucky from 1976 to 1991 had taught at the University of Louisville, St. Catharine College, and Berea College for five years. During this time she had grown to love Kentucky and longed to return, and when she met Price and the English faculty, she was sold.

In 1998, illness took its toil on Price, who struggled with fibromyalgia throughout most of 1997 and 1998. Before her retirement at the end of the 1998 academic year, however, she successfully lobbied for a full-time office associate. Hiring one became Olmsted’s first administrative task. Brandy Lee, who held the position for four years, was the first office associate. Gifted in desktop publishing, Lee helped raise the public image of the program. When she left, the program was lucky that Trish Jaggers, alum, wanted the position. Take a look at our newsletters to see a sample of her fantastic work.
Other changes ensued. The fourth move of the women’s studies office occurred in the months after the famous hail storm on April 16, 1998. Over the course of 13 years, the program’s office had been located in Cherry Hall, Wetherby, Van Meter, and now the stone house at 1532 State Street. The University received insurance payments that made renovating the house possible. Moving into the house made the program more visible, and with the extra space, the women’s studies staff could do and provide more for students.

Women’s Studies: Moving into the 21st Century
Along with this move, the Women’s Studies Program also experienced changes in curriculum. In 1998, the women’s studies graduate certificate was approved, and since 2004, has been offered as both an online and face-to-face program. The online certificate program has been enormously successful and allows for students across the country to research and discuss feminist literature, theory, and film. In 1999, the Women’s Studies Program also received funding for a full-time graduate assistant and a faculty fellow. The Program’s last three graduate assistants have earned the certificate. Olivia Smith is currently finishing her Ph.D. in women’s studies at Emory University. Farrah Ferriell is is a Community Educator and Trainer at The Center for Women and Families, and Heather Bridges is finishing her MA in English (TESOL). Farrah became the first full-time women’s studies instructor in 2003, and now, Molly Kerby has the first renewable instructorship and is finishing her Ph.D. in higher education. Charles Bussey, a professor in the Department of History, became the first faculty fellow and held the position for four years. Barry Brunson (Math) became faculty fellow in 2003, and is now in his third year. And last but not least, we have been blessed with outstanding student assistants, including Shelly Glorioso who has been working for the program for the past two years. Besides these additions to the program’s curriculum and staff, the program has raised money, and generous donors have stepped forward to provide even more opportunities for students: two undergraduate scholarships and one graduate scholarship. Inspired by Val Scott’s early and crucial support of Women’s Studies, Katie Ward became a major donor. She established three endowed funds: a $100,000 gift whose proceeds support supplementary initiatives of the Women’s Studies Program, an undergraduate endowed scholarship, and a second $100,000 gift to establish the Catherine Coogan Ward Visiting Professorship. Gail Martin, the first chair of the Fundraising Council, followed suit and directed the drive to raise another $100,000 to create the Faculty Development and Lecture Series. Gail and Cornelius Martin funded this series, which helps faculty professionally, supports guest speakers, and funds the genderations colloquia luncheon series twice a semester. In 2003, the original Fundraising Council, after its success in fund-raising for the At Home Project, morphed into Friends of Women’s Studies, which is driven by membership rather than solicited funds. The Women’s Studies Program has also brought many wonderful speakers to campus, often co-sponsoring with other departments and programs and the Rodes-Helm Lecture Series. Our guest speakers have included Angela Davis, Winona LaDuke, Riffat Hassan, The Guerilla Girls, Wilma Mankiller, Sena Jeter Naslund, Susan Faludi, and Laurie Garrett. This spring the Program is helping Premiere Performances bring Barbara Ehrenreich.
The Women’s Studies Program is unique in its committee structure, which has been in place since Price was director. (See “people” for a list of committees.) The steering committee serves as the advisory board regarding our activities and the direction of the Program. Current members are long-time women’s studies advocates Mary Ellen Miller, Judy Owen, and Katie Ward, as well as more recent advocates Kathryn Abbott, Barry Brunson, Lynne Holland, Aaron Hughey, and Trish Jaggers.
In 2001, the Program raised funds for At Home: A Kentucky Project with Judy Chicago and Donald Woodman, a semester-long collaborative project of the Women’s Studies Program, Art Department, and Folk Studies and Anthropology. The 25 participants of At Home turned each room into an artistic expression of positive and negative connotations associated with the idea of “home.” Individual rooms covered such issues as aging parents, abuse, sibling rivalry, prejudice, and marital conflict and compromise.

Women’s Studies: Student-Centered
The purpose of the genderations luncheon series is to provide a forum for faculty members and students to share and discuss their work in a collegial atmosphere, over a free lunch of soups and breads. One luncheon per year features students’ work, which has provided a wonderful opportunity for discussion of experiential learning at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. One experiential project featured at a 2005 genderations luncheon was graduate student Lindsey Bale’s book club at the Warren County jail. She established the book club not only to fulfill the requirements for a community outreach project in Women’s Studies 545, but also because enabling female prisoners had been a lifelong goal for Lindsey. As a result of her work, the Women’s Studies Program adopted the book club as a permanent project, which graduate assistant Heather Bridges now facilitates. Also supported by the Provost’s Initiatives for Excellence and the College Heights Bookstore, the Book Club is one of the ways students take their learning off campus and employ it in the service of others.

Although the program has grown tremendously, Jane Olmsted hopes in the future that more students will realize the value of the women’s studies minor and graduate certificate and that she will be able to provide more travel and special opportunities for women’s studies students. On October 29, 2005, the Women’s Studies Program along with the Provost’s Initiatives for Excellence provided funding for a group of women’s studies minors and graduate students to attend the National Collegiate Global Women and Human Rights Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The Women’s Studies Program Committee for Outreach and Service is also planning a new project that will give students the opportunity to work with people in the community—a week-long residential summer camp for low-income women and their children. Women Learning Together (WLT) is inspired by the New Opportunity School for Women in Berea, Kentucky. Women will stay on campus, eat in the campus dining facilities, and attend workshops in the morning with topics from furthering their education to building self-esteem and empowerment. In the afternoons, participants will serve as interns with local businesses and organizations, to “test the waters” in their areas of interest. Evenings will consist of cultural and social events. While the women are engaged in their activities, their children will attend artistic workshops led by WKU students and prepare a presentation for the graduation ceremony. Activities like these, which not only educate students on current issues, but also inspire them to effect change at a local level are exactly the type of student-centered initiatives that Women’s Studies seeks to support.

After I complete my MA and leave the hill, when I think of Western I’ll remember the football games and my 11:45 yoga classes. Five years from now, I might be sitting in front of a computer screen, but in my heart I’ll be hiking up the hill, hearing Cherry’s bells chime. Memories last. What I will think of first, however, are the people I have met through the Women’s Studies Program and the “ah-ha” moments we’ve shared. I know now, that these moments are possible only because a few dedicated people had an idea and refused to take no for an answer.