The Center for Education of Women collection consist of minutes, correspondence, topical files, reports, audiovisual materials, and other records documenting the founding, public programs, research projects, day-to-day administrative activities, and individual staff members of the University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women.
The current CEW collection is primarily the result of a major reprocessing project that combined several new accessions with the pre-existing record group--itself the accumulation of several accessions--and which has resulted in a re-figured collection nearly double the size of the original. The first three subgroups and their major series have been retained, but some of the lower-level organization has been updated to reflect the fuller picture of the Center that the combined set of materials affords.
Documents within folders may be arranged either chronologically or reverse chronologically, based on the existing arrangement of the majority of materials (in both the pre-existing collection and in the newer accessions), and in some cases may adhere to the original filing order. Also, some files (e.g. most correspondence) were filed by calendar year (Jan-Dec.), while others (notably budgets, staff meetings, and program files) were filed by fiscal year. Unless otherwise noted, files arranged by academic year (indicated in the box list by dates such as '1990/91') run from July of the first year through June of the second year.
Researchers examining the CEW collection may also be interested in related files in the following other record groups at the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library: Institute on Gerontology, Michigan Initiative on Women's Health, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Additionally, researchers should note that there are overlaps between the 'Topical' series in the 'Central Office Files' subgroup and the files of CEW staff members in the 'Individual Staff Files' subgroup. Some examples are provided below:
- Counseling: Myra Fabian, Dorothy McGuigan, Vivian Rogers, and Patricia Wulp
- Evening Program (especially 1982 and later): Patricia Wulp
- Group Counseling and Workshops (e.g., Career Decision Making, Assertiveness, the Step Before the Job Search, etc.): Myra Fabian, Barbara Anton, and Patricia Wulp
- Programs by Academic Year: Patricia Wulp
- Publicity: Louise Cain, Patricia Wulp and Dorothy McGuigan
- Research (including: non-traditional student surveys, Women in Science (and Engineering) studies, participant data, and especially Ford Grants): Jean Campbell, Carol Hollenshead, Jean Manis, Hazel Markus, and Dorothy McGuigan
- Sexual Harassment Implementation Team and other Sexual Harassment materials: Sue Kaufmann
- Women's Initiative Group (WING): Myra Fabian, Sue Kaufmann, Vivian Rogers, and Patricia Wulp
Due to the decentralized nature of the CEW records, researchers are encouraged to check for headings in each of the subgroups and series, even for subjects not listed above.
Acronyms used frequently in the records and in this finding aid include:
- CFW / COW -- UM Commission for Women (prior to 1972, the name was the Commission on Women)
- CURIES -- Cross-University Research in Engineering and Science
- GEO -- UM Graduate Employees' Organization
- IOG -- Institute of Gerontology (Joint UM/Wayne State program)
- LSA / LS&A -- UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- MAWDAC -- Michigan Association of Women Deans, Administrators and Counselors
- MSA -- Michigan Student Assembly (UM student government)
- NAWDAC -- National Association of Women Deans, Administrators and Counselors
- NACME -- National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
- NSF -- National Science Foundation
- OVPR -- UM Office of the Vice President for Research
- UM -- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor campus unless otherwise noted)
- WING -- UM Women's Initiative Group
- WIS / WISE -- Women in Science / Women in Science and Engineering, originally a CEW project that later spun off into its own unit)
Originally designed to serve the needs of female students and women returning to school or work, CEW+ (then known as the Center for the Continuing Education of Women) was founded with a three part mission of service, advocacy, and research. CEW+ maintains that mission today, serving university students, staff and faculty, community members at the University of Michigan (and beyond), and--as of 2018--others of all gender identities who are facing educational, employment, or other life issues.
Over the years, CEW+ has served as a model for other centers; has worked on behalf of women on this campus, in the state of Michigan, and nationally; and has conducted research informing us about women's lives - their work, their education, their family demands, and their aspirations.
In August 1962, Louise Gilbert Cain prepared "A Memo and Suggestion on the Continuing Education of Women." Mrs. Cain, who worked in the University Extension Service, had become increasingly aware of the problems faced by female students when they attempted to re-enter the university. The university responded to Louise Cain's memo by appointing her Special Assistant to Roger W. Heynes, the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Mrs. Cain prepared "Recommendations for a Center for the Continuing Education of Women" in June 1963. An advisory committee of deans was constituted and by May of the following year a proposal for a center had been written.
The Center for the Continuing Education of Women (then CCEW) began operations on September 1, 1964. It was initially funded by a $15,000 appropriation from President Harlan Hatcher. The second year's operating budget was doubled with the addition of funds from the Alumnae Council.
Louise Cain was appointed director (on leave) of CEW for 1964/1965; Jean Campbell was acting director and Helen Hornbeck Tanner was assistant director. Jean Campbell became director in September 1964 and continued in that position until 1985. Subsequent directors have been: Vivian Rogers, 1985-1987; Patricia Wulp, acting director, 1987-1988; Carol S. Hollenshead, 1988-2008; Gloria D. Thomas, 2009-2016; and Tiffany Marra, 2016 to the present. After Helen Hornbeck Tanner left CEW in 1967, the Assistant Director position was upgraded to that of Associate Director. CEW Associate Directors have included Patricia Wulp, 1968-1994, and Susan Kaufmann, 1994-2012. During Kaufmann's appointment, the Associate Director position transitioned into two separate positions: the Associate Director of Advocacy, and the Associate Director for Counseling, Programs and Services.
Throughout the 1960s the center expanded its services to women. The center began publication of a newsletter in the Fall of 1968 and the first conference/workshop "Women in Action" was held in 1965. CEW also began the publication of a paperback series related to women and continuing education. In 1995, CEW partnered with the U-M Women's Studies Program to co-found the Women of Color in the Academy Project (WOCAP), which focuses on specifically supporting and uplifting women of color at the university.
The center, which is housed within the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, provides educational and vocational guidance and training to all interested individuals, including those whose education has been interrupted. The information collected on each counselee or "participant" is coded and the data is used to provide demographic, educational, and work experience information on the participant. The data is also used to design CEW+ programs, evaluate the center's performance, and contribute to the basic knowledge about women in today's society. The center organizes discussions, workshops, conferences, lectures (e.g., the Mullin Welch Endowed Lecture), and programs (e.g., the Administrative Internship Program) that often focus on women's experiences in higher education, women's experiences in general, and providing interested individuals with vocational experience and knowledge. The center's library, a collection of vocational materials and pamphlets of interest to women, provides an additional resource. The center's scholarship program, begun in approximately 1970--the centennial year of women at the University of Michigan--has awarded more than 1,900 merit scholarships as of January 2025. The center also gives emergency grants, graduation grants, fellowships, and awards (e.g., the Carol Hollenshead Inspire Award for Excellence in Promoting Equity and Social Change), among other funding opportunities, to university community members of all ranks and academic levels.
Since its inception the center has become the focus of activities by and for women at the university, lending its support and expertise to the affirmative action movement, the Commission for Women, the development of the Women's Studies Program, and WISE (Women in Science and Engineering). The center's staff has served on university and community committees concerned with women's issues and has brought the perspective of women's needs to university committees. Staff members have worked for changes in university rules and procedures, scheduling and curricula through their membership on such committees as the LS&A Admissions Committee, the Committee on Student Parent Issues, the Commission on Graduate Requirements, the International Women's Year University of Michigan Committee, the LS&A Commission on Graduation Requirements, the Committee on the Status of Women in Graduate Education, and the President's Advisory Council on Women's Issues (PACWI).
The center has also developed programs to benefit special groups of women such as the Arrow Program for undergraduate women, the Evening Program courses (originally designed for student wives), and various programs for international women. In addition, several task forces, such as the Compensation Program and Dependent Care Task Forces, have been developed over the years to address varying needs in the community. More detailed information about the center's history and its current events and programs can be found on its website (https://wayback.archive-it.org/org-934/*/http://www.cew.umich.edu/). Additionally, researchers may also wish to consult "A Matter of Fairness: A History of the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan," which was authored by Jeanne Miller and published by the Bentley Historical Library in 2014.
Note to the researcher: The name of the center was changed in 1989 from the Center for the Continuing Education of Women (CCEW) to the Center for the Education of Women (CEW). In 2018, the center was further renamed to the Center for the Education of Women+ (CEW+) in recognition of efforts to expand its mission and services to all underserved communities. That said, the center is referred to by all name variants throughout the finding aid.
Directors of the CEW
| Date |
Event |
| 1964 | Louise Cain (in absentia) |
| 1964-1985 | Jean Campbell |
| 1985 | Patricia Wulp (acting) |
| 1985-1987 | Vivian Rogers |
| 1987-1988 | Patricia Wulp (acting) |
| 1988-2008 | Carol Hollenshead |
| 2009-2016 | Gloria D. Thomas |
| 2016- | Tiffany Marra |
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1 From the introduction to the history of CEW on the Center's website at https://web.archive.org/web/20180615173519/http://www.cew.umich.edu/history-photos
