Women at Indiana University

Andrea Walton's comprehensive anthology orchestrates the diverse perspectives and research skills of numerous scholars, each of whom has a close, distinctive affiliation with Indiana University. The impressive result is a procession of profiles ranging from pioneers to professors, alumni and associates, who now are appropriately recognized as part of a sesquicentennial celebration of women as central characters in the saga of Indiana University. The timing of this work is worth the wait as it provides critical analysis of the flourishing of women as full citizens in all areas of campus mission and life.--John R. Thelin, University of Kentucky, author of A History of American Higher Education Women at Indiana University demonstrates how broad historical insights can be gained from the study of individual lives. Spanning a period of 150 years, this essay collection focuses on particular female students, faculty, administrators, and supporters who experienced the campus amid a rapidly changing world. The book is a 'must read' for historians of U. S. higher education.--Linda C. Morice, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, author of Coordinate Colleges for American Women: A Convergence of Interest Andrea Walton has collected an excellent array of essays on the history of women at Indiana University. Illuminating the importance of region and locale in the shaping of women's experiences, this volume speaks of women's lives as students, faculty, staff, and philanthropists across time and across differences of race, ethnicity, and social class. These accessible essays document the ways that women have shaped a major institution, and together they model a new vision of institutional histories.--Margaret Nash, University of California, Riverside Women at Indiana University edited by Andrea Walton is an important and much-needed study of the history of women students, faculty, and administrators at a major mid-western University. This study includes insightful chapters on the earliest women students at Indiana University and includes chapters on African American women students and faculty, Latinas, Asian women throughout this 150-year history. This volume moves us away from the focus of women higher education of the east coast and provides greater insight into the education of women of diverse backgrounds in the heartland of the nation.--Linda M. Perkins, Claremont Graduate University This collection focused on women's education at Indiana University is a compelling and valuable contribution to scholarship in women's educational history and biography. Authors explore the contours of women's experiences, challenges and triumphs at IU across a span of 150 years. Rich in contextual detail, chapters animate diverse students, faculty, staff, and supporters who pushed boundaries, provided resources, and fostered spaces to enable women's educational access and accomplishments with continuing resonance for IU today. Authors underscore the importance of locale to exploring educational history while also connecting to gendered patterns nationally, making the collection generative for a range of readers and purposes beyond its grounding context.--Lucy E. Bailey, Oklahoma State University