Women at the University of Miami have not always been at the forefront of leadership. Their progress is the result of decades of advocacy, dedication and efforts, which has set a foundation for generations of women to come.
UM was founded as a coeducational university in 1925, and 646 men and women made up the first fully registered class. Regardless, it took years for women in faculty to feel recognized at the university.
Dr. June Dreyer, PhD, a professor of political science, began working at UM in 1979.
“I was only the second female full-time professor,” Dreyer said. “The other, named Margaret Mustard, was I believe in the Biology Department and had been at UM since the days of ‘Cardboard College.’”
According to Dreyer, it was difficult for women to be taken seriously in a strong academic environment, despite their impressive backgrounds and accomplishments. Before coming to UM, Dreyer was a Far East specialist for the Library of Congress and an Asia policy advisor to the chief of naval operations.
“I had a difficult time even being addressed as Doctor or Professor Dreyer,” she said. “Since my husband also taught here, I had to remind people that I had a doctorate, too.”
Many aspects of student life, like residential colleges and honor societies, were separated by gender at UM until the 1970s and 1980s. Mahoney Residential College was exclusively for men until it was connected to Pearson Residential College in the early 1970s when the two residence halls transitioned to coed living.
The Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor attained at UM, only admitted men until 1985. Prior to this change, Nu Kappa Tau was the highest honor society for women.
Over the course of the University’s century of history, women have made their presence known in other male-dominated academic and athletic pursuits.
Maria Teresa Giammattei, Margarita C. Giammattei and Sherman Hoffman Kilkelly were the first women to graduate from the College of Engineering only five years after it was established in 1947. Today, the College of Engineering is made up of 37% female students, according to UM News, whereas nationally, only 22% of undergraduate engineering degrees are earned by women.
In 1973, UM became the first major university nationwide to offer athletic scholarships to female athletes.
Golfer Terry Williams received a $2,400 athletic tuition waiver just nine months after former President Nixon signed the Education Amendments Act. This included Title IX, which enforces gender equality in high school and college educational programs, as well as athletics. Before Williams, women only participated in recreational sports.
As of fall 2024, UM has 230 male athletes and 250 female athletes.
“The coaches don’t take any incidents lightly when it comes to sexual assault,” Eloise Stuart, a freshman cross country and track and field athlete, said. “Female athletes here feel really supported if they need to come forward about something.”
Kelsey Greer, a first-year student on the cheer team, conveyed the importance of leaning on her fellow female teammates for support.
“We all cheer each other on,” Greer said. “A win for one of us is a win for all of us.”
In 2020, UM announced a Flagship Initiative for women and gender equity. The project examines the current leadership positions held by women and develops ways for UM to further support female students and faculty.
Shortly after, UM established the Public Voices Fellowship in 2021. This fellowship year allowed 20 women and minority members to focus on conducting research and gaining recognition in their respective fields.
Most recently, the Steven B. Schonfeld Foundation established a scholarship for female students studying STEM at the University of Miami. In 2024, the scholarship was offered to four sophomores, and the foundation will continue to sponsor female computer science students for the next eight years.
Still, instances of inequality have been reported, particularly when it comes to faculty pay. According to the Miami New Times, within the school of medicine’s clinical division, male faculty are being paid 25% more than their female counterparts. Additionally, as stated by Forbes, other cases of gender-based pay discrimination are ongoing at UM, such as female professors making $8,500 less per year than male professors with a lower rank.