Key Dates

1909 Father McCabe welcomed women at Marquette, making Marquette University the first Catholic university in the world to offer coeducation as part of its regular undergraduate program. Father McCabe made the transformational decision to permit women—religious and lay alike—to enroll alongside men in the bachelor of arts program. He met with opposition by his religious superiors, so he appealed this decision to the head of the Society of Jesus in Rome. Women were admitted to Marquette three years before official decision from Rome came in 1912. Meanwhile, McCabe had been removed from Marquette.

1921 The Hilltopper called the Journalism Department the only "truly cosmopolitan" department on campus because of the number of women in the department. The School of Journalism was the first to admit women.

1923 The first dean of women was appointed. One year later, the Women’s Alumnae Association was formed.

1936 The first female academic dean at Marquette provided leadership for the all-female college of nursing.

1937 The Association of Marquette University Women was launched. By year end, AMUW had grown to 500 members: 499 women and Father Raphael C. McCarthy, Marquette President. AMUW pushed for the first women’s residence hall, known as the Alumnae House.

1944 The enrollment of women at Marquette grew to more than 40 percent of students during World War II.

1949 The men’s and women’s alumni associations merged into the Marquette University Alumni Association.

1970 The first female Marquette faculty member received the
Teaching Excellence Award.

1971 The first female student was elected as president of the student body.

1975 The Women’s Council was established, making a considerable contribution in the effort to raise funds for the Helfaer Theater and Haggerty Museum of art.

1976 The first woman was elected to the Board of Trustees.

1992 Marquette’s first female vice president was appointed to the position of vice president of student affairs.

2006 Marquette’s Board of Trustees was chaired by Mary Ellen Stanek,
the first woman to lead the Board.