Milestones and achievements in women’s history at UHCL

In the nearly 45 years the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) has been open, various milestones and achievements have been reached in regard to women’s history. These achievements range from notable alumnae, ever growing progress in female enrollment and representation, programs centered on the experience of women and gender as a whole, and student organizations aimed at amplifying the presence and voice of women.

UHCL’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness has observed that since 2003 female student undergraduate enrollment has seen a 56.58 percent increase. Female faculty has also experienced growth, with there being an 18.30 percent increase since 2003. Currently, there are 11 out of 20 administrative positions being filled by women, including UHCL’s first female president Ira Blake, who joined UHCL in 2017.

Miriam C. Barrera, assistant director of data management, noted that despite there being an overall decrease in graduate students of both genders, female enrollment has grown significantly. The fall 2018 semester saw a total undergraduate enrollment of over 4,000 women, compared to 2,445 men.

“There’s been some fluctuation, but women are outpacing the men right now,” Barrera said.

Notable female alumni have included Evelyn Miralles, a NASA engineer who is a two-time recipient of CNET’s Top 20 Most Influential Hispanics and was named one of the BBC’s 100 Inspirational Women in the World in 2016; Marilyn K. Lunney, who became the first female judge for mainland Galveston County; Sandra Mossman, the first female superintendent of the Clear Creek Independent School District; and Moriam “Seun” Adigun, 2018 Nigerian Olympic bobsledder.

UHCL’s commitment to women’s rights and voice can be seen as early as its inception with the creation of the Women’s Association. Action was taken during the creation of the campus to form a women’s association, with the first meeting being held on May 20, 1974.

The following year, history was further made with the first graduating class that had only one graduate, a woman named Connie DeVos Seymour, a resident of League City who graduated with a degree in language and literature.

Toward the dawn of the eighties, UHCL found itself continuing to give voice to women when it became the first place of exhibition for the multimedia artwork “The Dinner Party” since its original debut in California. The work by feminist and artist Judy Chicago is now permanently installed at the Brooklyn Museum in New York.

Along with the Women’s Association, UHCL’s stride in women’s history includes the Women and Gender Studies (WGST) program, which was founded in 1975.

“The Women’s and Gender Studies Program at UHCL is an interdisciplinary program drawing on faculty expertise from across the College of Human Sciences and Humanities,” said Anne Gessler, professor for the program and first-year seminar professor. “Faculty from sociology, psychology, history, etc. integrate the study of women and gender into their research and courses to illustrate not only the essential contributions women and the LGBT community have made to society, but also how their institutional and cultural oppression, past and present, affects us all. The WGST Program hosts a range of events during Women’s History Month that engage students beyond the classroom.”

As Kim Case, professor of psychology and the women studies program, noted, UHCL made history in having such a program.

“Women’s Studies began back in the late 1970s,” Case said. “UHCL was one of the first universities in the country to offer women’s studies courses.”

Case noted that the Women’s Studies (WMST) program at UHCL has never had a faculty member devoted solely to the program. Rather, the program consists of multiple female faculty members across various majors including humanities, history, psychology, sociology, art and communication.

“All of the work on courses, programming, events, supporting student groups, bringing in speakers, etc. has been done by faculty member[s] who have full responsibilities in other programs,” Case said. “The faculty involved in the program have a long herstory of devotion to bringing this critical inquiry and critical practice to our students because we value these life and career skills.”

In 2005, the program kicked off a major in Women’s Studies and brought in feminist author and social activist Gloria Jean Watkins, known by her pen name bell hooks, as a speaker. Long before that, the program had a certificate program at the undergraduate and graduate levels so that students in other majors and disciplines could specialize. That major was dissolved a few years ago, but as Case noted, the certificate “still exists and is quite popular.”

“Over the last four decades, WMST at UHCL has done amazing things with no faculty members assigned to the program,” Case said. “For a while, the psychology program allowed one faculty member from psychology to serve WMST half time. When I was hired in 2005, my position was as a psychology member, but with Women’s Studies in my title.”

The name of the certificate was changed to Women’s and Gender Studies a couple of years ago. About ten years ago, community member Ben Mieszkuc donated an endowment fund to the UHCL Women’s Studies program in honor of his late wife, Marilyn Mieszkuc. That endowment funds programs as well as research for WMST faculty. Case gave insight into how the program has benefited the campus and its history.

“The impact has been that thousands of students have benefited from feminist mentoring, leadership development, and advanced skills that serve them in their professions and personal lives,” Case said. “WMST teaches critical thinking, the value of diversity and inclusion, and the benefits of taking multiple and diverse perspectives of others.”

Case went on to further explain the impact of the Women’s and Gender Studies program.

“WMST also focuses on analysis of power and privilege, taking action for social justice, and applying academic knowledge and philosophy to solve social problems,” Case said. “Our faculty and our students do amazing work in the community and are making Clear Lake, Houston, and the surrounding area safer and more welcoming places for all.”