Walking Tour about UMaine Women:
Past and Present
Spring 2007

Written by Sandra Caron

Introduction - MP3 audio file (6.80 Mb)
(Narrated by Sandra Caron)

Welcome to the Walking Tour about University of Maine Women: Past and Present. Our goal is to highlight some of the amazing UMaine women and the contributions and accomplishments they have made, and continue to make, in shaping the state's largest public university. From the early days of the university to today, women have been contributing in such areas as politics, education, science, athletics and the arts. This tour highlights some of those women alumni, faculty, students, staff and administrators.

The University of Maine was founded in 1862 as the Maine State College. Three and a half years later, a law was passed to admit women to the institution. In the first 40 years or so (from 1872 to 1916), about 25 women attended the university each year.

The first woman student and first woman graduate was Louise Ramsdell. She graduated in 1874 with a Bachelor of Science in Electives. The first woman to receive a graduate degree was Percia Vinal; she received her Master of Science degree in 1882. We certainly have come a long way from the early days when women were not allowed to live on campus, wear pants, or visit the library at night.

Today in 2007, about half (52 percent) of the undergraduates and two-thirds (66 percent) of the graduate students are women. Women have a higher graduation rate than men (60 percent versus 55 percent), and in every UMaine college except engineering, there are more women than men enrolled.

Across campus, about half (51 percent) of the approximately 2,500 UMaine employees are women. Women represent two-thirds (63 percent) of the support staff, half (51 percent) of professional staff, and a third (35 percent) of faculty members. In terms of faculty ranks, women make up about half (45 percent) of assistant professors, a third (29 percent) of associate professors, and only a fifth (18 percent) of full professors (the highest rank a faculty member can reach).

Among the many milestones in UMaine women's history are: the passage of a university-wide nonsexist language policy 20 years ago, the addition of family friendly policies for workers, and the naming of many south campus buildings for women — Balentine, Chadbourne, Colvin, Estabrooke, and Lengyel Gym.

The tour is divided into four parts. From the steps of Fogler Library, you can choose to go north, south, east, or west. Using the ipointer and numbered map to guide you, play the track that corresponds to that building as you walk by it. Enjoy!