Women in the Lead

Posted: March 4, 2024

March is Women’s History Month — and the University of Florida Graduate School is celebrating not just the past achievements of women, but the history that they’re making today through their impact on graduate and professional education at UF.

In 1924, then male-only UF admitted its first few female full-time students — with restrictions. In 1947, it became fully coeducational (open to both men and women). Today, its graduate student body is 58% female, with a 11,978 majority out of 20,659 total.

In 1918, UF hired its first female faculty member. Today, women make up 37% of its graduate faculty — 1,188 out of 3,226 total.

In 1948, UF named its first female dean. Today, women head eight of UF’s 16 colleges as deans or interim deans — Agricultural and Life Sciences, Arts, Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Health Professions, and Veterinary Medicine. In addition, the deans of its George A. Smathers Libraries, Graduate School, and International Center are women.

Women's gains as students, faculty members, and administrators at UF have spelt undeniable gains for UF itself, as their added intellect, ingenuity, and imagination have expanded — and keep on expanding — the Gator Nation’s capacity for inventiveness and innovation in learning, teaching, and research. Their increasing presence and contributions on campus, from one generation to the next, continue to make history by advancing academia, launching new careers, and enhancing UF’s profile and reach.

Now that is certainly something worth celebrating over Women’s History Month!