Image taken from the 1923-24 edition of Evergreen and Gold.īoth Olive Caldwell and Doris Charlesworth began their studies at the U of A in 1920. Baker, and Doris Charlesworth, three of the seven students who graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1924. Caldwell and Doris Charlesworth crossed the stage in Convocation Hall on May 15, 1924, they were, perhaps wittingly, blazing a trail for thousands of young businesswomen who would follow in their footsteps. A doctoral degree was also going to be conferred to the university’s biggest academic star, James Bertram Collip, co-discoverer of insulin. Over 200 students would receive a degree, one of the largest graduating classes in the university’s short history. The U of A’s 14th annual convocation was already set to be a memorable ceremony. A year later, however, two women crossed the stage to receive their Commerce degrees. By 1919, students could graduate from the U of A with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, but it was not until 1923 that the first three grads arrived at Convocation. The Alberta School of Business officially began in 1916 as the Department of Accountancy. The goal of equality between the sexes simply did not correspond to the realities of life in the early 20th century. And even though there was great interest and excellence in women’s sports, it wasn’t until 1919 that the Women’s Athletics Association secured its independence as a student club. The Wauneita Society, the university’s all-women’s club, used racist stereotypes in their traditions and rituals. The Persons Case was still 20 years away. Jennie Stork Hill was the first to receive a graduate degree, and became the second woman in Edmonton to hold municipal office.ĭespite this, it would be erroneous to say that the conditions for women in the early days of the U of A were idyllic. Decima Robinson was the first student to receive an undergraduate degree. They called themselves the “Seven Independent Spinsters.” Many of the first female students made an immediate impact. Seven women were part of the U of A’s inaugural class in 1908.
Fewer know that, two years earlier, the University Act declared that “no woman shall by reason of her sex be deprived of any advantage or privilege accorded to male students of the university.” Many are familiar with Tory’s first convocation address in 1908, and his belief that knowledge, transmitted through the modern state university, should uplift the whole people.
In creating the University of Alberta, both Premier Alexander Rutherford and President Henry Marshall Tory envisioned a single, non-denominational and democratic institution that would serve all Albertans.
0 kommentar(er)
