Mr. & Mrs. Spencer T. Olin Fellowships for Women in Graduate Study Records

Collection

Identifier: WUA-01-wua00268

Staff Only

This collection includes correspondence, conference material (biographical information on the speakers, planning material, and publicity), audio cassettes of the conferences, annual reports, and newsletters relating to the Mr. and Mrs. Spencer T. Olin Fellowship for Women in Graduate Study at Washington University.

Dates

Creation: 1977-2015

Creator

Washington University (Saint Louis, Mo.). Olin Fellowship for Women in Graduate Study (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Open

Conditions Governing Use

Users of the collection must read and agree to abide by the rules and procedures set forth in the Materials Use Policies.

Providing access to materials does not constitute permission to publish or otherwise authorize use. All publication not covered by fair use or other exceptions is restricted to those who have permission of the copyright holder, which may or may not be Washington University.

If you wish to publish or license Special Collections materials, please contact Special Collections to inquire about copyright status at (314) 935-5495 or spec@wumail.wustl.edu. (Publish means quotation in whole or in part in seminar or term papers, theses or dissertations, journal articles, monographs, books, digital forms, photographs, images, dramatic presentations, transcriptions, or any other form prepared for a limited or general public.)

Extent

8 linear feet

10 boxes

Additional Description

Historical Information

When circumstances led the trustees of Monticello College (a selective two-year liberal arts college in Alton, Illinois) to the decision that the class of women graduated in 1971 would be the last to attend the college, The Monticello College Foundation was formed to continue in new ways the charge of the school’s original charter: to “promote female education.” As one result, there came into being in 1974 the Mr. and Mrs. Spencer T. Olin Fellowship Program for Women, a joint enterprise of The Monticello College Foundation and Washington University. By establishing the Olin Fellowships for deserving women engaged in preparation for careers in higher education and the professions through advanced study at Washington University, The Monticello College Foundation placed itself at the frontier of women’s education just as the founders of Monticello College had 140 years earlier by pioneering college-level education for women. The name of the fellowship program was selected in tribute to Mr. and Mrs. Olin’s many years of service to Monticello. Both gave generously of their time, resources, and creative spirit to help Monticello achieve its goals on behalf of the higher education of women.

One-hundred and eighty-eight women have studied for advanced degrees as Olin Fellows at Washington University in the program’s first twenty-five years.

Purposes of the Olin Fellowships:

1. To encourage women of exceptional promise to prepare for careers in higher education and the professions.

2. To continue and extend the historically important contribution of Monticello to the education of women.

3. To extend the influence of Washington University by assisting in the advanced education of outstanding women who are likely to make significant contributions to higher education and the professions.

As part of the Fellowship Program, the Mr. and Mrs. Spencer T. Olin Conference is designed so that nationally recognized figures in government, higher education and the professions can share their experiences with all of those individuals interested in the status of women in American society.