March 28, 2008

by Robin Elliot

The Dean of Women in 1949 was Dorothy R. Young. She was involved with the Women's Progress in Engineering Conference held at Drexel that year.

In correspondence to President Creese she shared her ideas about the purpose of an education for women. She supported co-education for women as opposed to the women's colleges prevalent during that time period. Young believed that men and women had similar responsibilities to society.

The Second World War was fresh in her mind and she amusingly, suggested that polygamy might be one way to solve society's lack of men. Young stated that women were required to have employment, knowledge of culture and know the skills required to be good citizens and parents. Drexel's focus should be providing women with the opportunities to succeed in all of these different facets of modern womanhood.

Young was on the Legislative and Educational Committees of the American Association of University Women in the late 1940's.

For Information on Drexel's involvement with the Association of University Women, see collection UR 1.5, Office of the President Records