Against the backdrop of the civil rights, second wave feminist, and anti-war movements, a small group of dedicated MSU faculty and students throughout the University developed a handful of lectures and courses addressing women’s perspectives in the early 1970s. Two students organized the Campus Organization for Women (COW). Dr. Kittye Delle Robbins-Herring (foreign languages) served as faculty advisor. The group published their own newsletter, Sting like a Butterfly. Dr. D. Wood Harper (sociology) offered an informal course addressing women’s liberation issues, opening his home each week to interested faculty and students.
In 1973, Dr. T.K. Martin, Vice President for Academic Affairs, appointed Dr. Ellen Bryant (sociology) to the campus Affirmative Action Committee. As one of the few people on campus experienced in analyzing population data, Dr. Bryant was critical to MSU’s efforts to address gender inequality among women employees. Her efforts on the Committee led to substantial pay raises and promotions among women faculty members.
The College of Arts & Sciences, established in 1956, was the fastest growing college at Mississippi State in the 1970s, drawing in many women and Black students. These groups were responsible for substantial enrollment growth at this time. Colleges and universities across the country were establishing academic courses in Women’s Studies and Racial/Ethnic Studies. Government supported institutions were under pressure to comply with anti-discrimination laws or risk losing public funding. Simultaneously, Mississippi State was developing a broader focus in coursework and increasing research activity, competing with leading universities in curriculum development and research rank.
MSU President Dr. James D. McComas established the university’s Women’s Commission in 1977 and appointed Dr. Elizabeth Nybakken (history) as chairperson. The Commission (later the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, or PCSW) was charged with improving the status of women on campus. This included supporting affirmative action efforts, women’s organizations on campus, and equalization of athletic opportunities.
Later that year, Dr. Margaret Murray (English) began chairing a committee established to create a proposal for the Women’s Studies Program. The idea of a program focused on women’s contributions and struggles represented a distinct departure from the traditional mission of a land-grant university primarily focused on agriculture and engineering. The committee investigated similar programs around the nation, tailoring their proposal to meet the needs of MSU students. The committee presented the proposal to the Vice President for Academic Affairs in 1978.
Faculty offered the first two Women’s Studies courses at MSU in 1977, while the committee was writing its proposal. These included Women in American History and Women in Society. The third class, Psychology of Gender Differences, was added four years later. There were no established curricula to draw upon, nor were faculty trained specifically in Women’s Studies. Rather, faculty devoted to incorporating women’s perspectives and experiences into their courses undertook these efforts in addition to their standard duties. Building on this momentum, in 1981 the Women’s Studies Concentration was officially approved and housed in the College of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Ellen Bryant was named the first Director and led Women’s Studies until her retirement in 1988.
Soon thereafter, Women’s Studies faculty developed an innovative team-taught introductory course covering multiple topics, each taught by a faculty expert. This unique course resulted in more faculty joining the program and more students taking Women’s Studies courses. The 1983-1984 Catalogue listed a 15-hour Women’s Studies undergraduate concentration, featuring eight Women’s Studies courses across four Colleges to choose from.
Following Dr. Bryant’s retirement, there have been ten successive Directors, each with her or his own contributions to the Program. These include the following:
Ellen Bryant 1981-1988
Susan Snell 1988-1992
Catheryn Goree 1993-1994
Linda Southward 1994-1996
Karen Mack 1997 (interim)
Rose Kadende-Kaiser 1997-2001
Meg Murray 2001-2003
Jeralynn Cossman 2003-2009
John Bartkowski 2004-2006 (co-director)
Nicole Rader 2009-2012
Kimberly Kelly 2012-Present
Upon Dr. Bryant’s retirement, Dr. Susan Snell accepted the position as Director, and hired the first graduate student program assistant, Barbara Westmoreland. In spring 1996, The Ellen Bryant Women’s Resource Center opened in Rice Hall, with a grand opening held during the annual Super Bulldog Weekend. Rose Kadende-Kaiser, Director from 1997 until 2001, raised the profile of the Program by establishing a speaker series, now the Gender Studies Lecture Series, featuring prominent speakers, workshops, and conferences.
Between 2004 and 2008, the undergraduate certificate was upgraded to a minor and the program established a graduate certificate. In 2004, the Women’s Studies Program was renamed the Gender Studies Program to better reflect the state of the field.
Today, the Program has more than 20 faculty affiliates across four Colleges in addition to the director, core faculty, and graduate program assistant positions. The profile of the Gender Studies Lecture Series has risen steadily, featuring speakers such as Gloria Steinem, Anita Hill, Alicia Garza, Patricia Hill Collins, Constance McMillen, Laverne Cox, and Dorothy Roberts. The lecture series has expanded the variety of its offerings and now includes an annual Feminist Film Fest, faculty pedagogy panels, and its signature event, the Women’s History Month celebration in March of each year. Since the early 2010s, the Program has also significantly increased its LGBTQIAA+ focused programming, recognizing this as a critical need area.
This account is drawn from a more complete history covering the 1970s through 2003, written by founding Director Dr. Ellen Bryant, available here. The Gender Studies Program thanks Drs. Kimberly Kelly, Lynne Cossman, and Nicole Rader for their assistance in tracing the post-2003 history of the Program.