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Purdue University. Office of the Dean of Women

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 1933 - 1974

Historical Information

"In 1933 Purdue hired its first full-time Dean of Women, Dorothy Stratton. Prior to this, the Dean of Women duties were carried out by Professor of English Literature Carolyn Shoemaker. When Helen Schleman took over as Dean in 1947, the office staff consisted of her, a placement officer, and an assistant dean seeing to the counseling, discipline, and administration needs of Purdue’s women students. As the number of women students at Purdue grew steadily, so did the size and responsibilities of the dean’s office, including placement services for women students, the SPAN Plan program to help nontraditional women return to education, and minority outreach programs to help the expanding diversity in the student body. Beverley Stone took over as Dean of Women after Schleman’s retirement in 1956, and in 1974 Stone became the first Dean of Students at Purdue when the Dean of Women and Dean of Men offices were combined."

Citation:
McConnell, Jonathan. "Finding Aid to the Dean of Women records." 2013. UA 41, Dean of Women records. Karnes Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries, West Lafayette.

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

Other Purdue Material, 1940 - 1985

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSF 334, Series 6
Scope and Contents

This series contains miscellaneous materials related to Schleman's tenure at Purdue, including her advocacy for equal rights for women students and faculty. Of particular note are materials that document Schleman's nomination of ten women for President of Purdue in 1970, the Schleman Gold Medallion Award and the 1979 TIAA pension lawsuit.

Dates: 1940 - 1985

Research Files, 1938 - 1985

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSF 334, Series 7
Scope and Contents

This series contains clippings, reports, notes, and other resources on topics of interest to Schleman that she researched. Most of the files cover specific topics related to women's struggle for equal rights. General subject areas include women in higher education, women in the work force, motherhood, sex roles, volunteerism, and the women's movement.

Dates: 1938 - 1985