When Ladenson came to MSU in 1968, she noticed that although professors of anthropology, sociology and psychology had begun to incorporate the idea of women’s history and a feminist perspective into the content of their current courses, there was no specific course or program centered on studying women.

Beckwith said she began to notice the trend around the same time and that the women’s movement was a product of the civil rights movement.

“This was the academic arm of women’s liberation,” she said.

The new interest prompted the professors to create a course titled Women in America, which Ladenson said was the first to explore the philosophical aspects of feminism.

“There weren’t any courses like it at the time,” Beckwith said. “Women’s history and literature weren’t new, but the idea of uncovering it, analyzing it and bringing it to courses where it didn’t exist before was new.”

The courses grew into the women’s studies thematic concentration, something Ladenson said was much like the specialization MSU currently offers but not quite as formal.

In 1990, Ladenson said she and a group of faculty members involved with the original courses created a plan for a bachelor’s degree. The degree’s approval led to a master’s degree in women’s studies.

But it didn’t last long.

“In early 2000, a moratorium was declared on the major, which I was distressed about and others were distressed about as well,” Ladenson said.

The program was cut for financial reasons and a need to be redesigned.

The university chose to offer a specialization, incorporated into any course of study, making MSU the only Big Ten school without a major related to women’s studies.

“That was a terrible mistake on the part of the administration,” Ladenson said. “They had to reinvent the wheel after all those years. They had to start all over.”

The major will return for this year’s fall semester as women’s and gender studies.

That’s good news, said Kelley Schacht, an interdisciplinary humanities senior and co-chair of Women’s Council. Until now, students such as Schacht, who had an interest in the major, didn’t have many options. The specialization was one way for students to incorporate women’s studies into their education.

Schacht made women’s studies one of her three areas of study.

“I’ve always been interested in feminism and women’s issues, and I knew I wanted to pursue it in college,” Schacht said. “Even though we don’t we have a major at the moment, I wanted to take those courses anyway.”

Schacht said she hopes the return of the women’s and gender studies major will spark interest on campus.

“I hope people weren’t turned off by the fact you couldn’t have it as a major (before),” she said. “The specialization is good for people who don’t want the major. It keeps them involved in the program.”

Suzanne Schneider, a former anthroplogy graduate student and current postdoctoral teaching fellow at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa., started working with the women’s studies program through the Center for Gender in Global Context in 1999. She said she found some of her most useful resources through the women’s studies program and the center.

“(The program) was very dynamic. It was clearing house for grad students with an interest in gender issues,” she said. “There was a lot of support for grant writing and conference papers. As a grad student, it was a very significant resource for me.”

A place for women

Ladenson and Beckwith formed the Michigan Women’s Studies Association, or MWSA, in 1972 to educate people further.

“It was a completely new thing, a revolutionary thing, and we did build it right,” Beckwith said. “I’m happy to say I had a small part in doing it. It’s very fulfilling.”

In 1976, the MWSA became a nonprofit organization as it continued to grow and expand its ideals beyond university walls.

By 1980, Beckwith said they acquired a lease on the Cooley-Haze House for $1 per year under the condition the building eventually be renovated.

“When we started to renovate, we were being very optimistic. We only had $12,000 in the fund and it was a $250,000 renovation,” Beckwith said.

It took six years to raise the rest of the money, but the center opened on June 10, 1987, a date Beckwith said she chose because it was the date Michigan ratified the amendment giving women the right to vote in 1920.

“It was a great sense of achievement,” she said. “I have a strong identity with Michigan, and I’m happy to do something to recognize the achievements of Michigan people, especially women.”

The historical center was the first of its kind — showcasing the accomplishments of women throughout history and specifically from Michigan.

“So little is known about women’s history,” she said. “If you don’t know about women’s history, you won’t have those important role models. The center opens up possibilities for younger women to have those role models.”

Looking forward

Today, the historical center serves as an extension of the mission Beckwith and Ladenson started years ago, with Beckwith serving as president.

“(The historical center) provided opportunities for women teachers and scholars and women in the community to come together and exchange ideas every year,” Ladenson said. “The goal was to put these women up-front in history so they’ll be remembered forever, because they are not in museums in many places.”

The historical center hosts numerous events throughout the year, such as the lecture and book signing of Marilyn Culpepper, a retired professor of writing, rhetoric and American culture from MSU. The Sunday gathering highlighted stories from Culpepper’s latest book, “Never Will We Forget: Oral Histories of World War II.”

Culpepper stood before a small audience, some of whom were World War II veterans, and shared the stories of the men who served in the war and the women who worked as nurses.

When it came time to find women for the book, Culpepper turned to Beckwith, whom she describes as a long time friend, and the historical center.

She said she found a handful of names of women who were still alive and living in Michigan to interview.

“They were kind to me when I needed them,” Culpepper said, which influenced her decision to present her book at the historical center.

“I was happy to be here. It was an honor to present here,” she said.

Ladenson said she would like to see the women’s and gender studies program grow after being on hiatus for eight years.

“I’d like to see women’s studies define itself more clearly,” she said. “Right now there’s an inadequate definition, an inadequate identity for the program.”

While excited for the revival of the major program she helped to create, Beckwith said the changes in the opportunities for women she has seen in her lifetime are the most exciting.

“We’ve had some outstanding women in our time, but there’s something to be said for having a woman in the White House. (Hillary Clinton’s) an inspiration to all of us, at least to me,” Beckwith said.

“It’s a whole different world than what I grew up in.”