Welcome to the Notable Women of FAU
The history of Florida Atlantic University extends to 64 years approximately, having been founded officially in 1961, making the institution a rather young and fresh university,compared to some of the others that have stood longer against the test of time. But even with its short stature of existence, its history is still just as rich and impressive. The construction of such a groundbreaking record stemmed from, of course, the people who built it- the hidden figures that placed the stepping stones towards our staircase of success. But like most shadows, they are sometimes ignored or go unnoticed by others, whether it be intentional and due to the demographics or unintentional, from a lack of publicity. The purpose of the site is to display some of these important figures who have made waves into our vast ocean of history, bringing the Women of Florida Atlantic University into the spotlight. We highlight their accomplishments, whether academic or not.
There is no arguing the fact that Women historically were underrepresented in higher education, around 1977 a study was done showing Women only made-up 25% percent of the Faculty at US institutions of Higher Education, Men compromised the other 75% percent.[1]Oftentimes, biases were commonplace in American households, and it was not too presumptuous for a man to assume it was a Woman’s job to cook, clean and raise children and most importantly stay home. According to a Journal article by Margaret Paloma and T. Neal Garland: The Married Professional Woman: A Study in the Tolerance of Domestication*, “The 1960’s have produced reams of research documenting the discrimination against employed women in American society. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor provide the “hard facts” of salary differentials, unemployment figures, and the clustering of women workers in lower paying jobs.”[2] From Ivy League schools to community colleges Women have had to fight for equal rights, autonomy, and recognition in the Academic world. This was true at one time of the United States younger universities, Florida Atlantic University was sadly part of these exclusionary practices.[3] But that has changed there are more female students obtaining degrees than male students. FAU’s female faculty from about 1961 only compromised about 10 percent of the faculty population. But today that has change, completely reversed female faculty make up around 80 % percent of total amount of faculty members. In fact, the Women teaching at Florida Atlantic University have changed the world of academics and have cemented Women as excellent educators and some have rewritten the book on how to educate in their respective fields of ability.
[1] Reed, Rodney J. “Affirmative Action in Higher Education: Is It Necessary?” The Journal of Negro Education 52, no. 3 (1983): 332–49. https://doi.org/10.2307/2294668.
[2] Poloma, Margaret M., and T. Neal Garland. “The Married Professional Woman: A Study in the Tolerance of Domestication.” Journal of Marriage and Family 33, no. 3 (1971): 531–40. https://doi.org/10.2307/349850
[3] (1979, October 28). Miami Herald, p. 3. Available from Readex: America's Historical Newspapers: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/apps/readex/doc?p=EANX&docref=image/v2%3A114CF48AE24B9638%40EANX-1602481224B643B0%402444175-1601F164528E0476%402-1601F164528E0476%40.