Faculty

In 1896-1897, Eulalia Cornelius and Gertrude Williamson were hired as the first women to teach at Davidson. Both women privately taught Davidson students music lessons; Ms. Cornelius taught voice while Ms. Williamson taught guitar and mandolin classes.

 

Statesville Record and Landmark, 1897 March 19, page 3
Eulalia Cornelius and Gertrude Williamson, however, were the first women to "teach" at Davidson beginning in 1896-1897. Both women privately taught Davidson students music lessons; Ms. Cornelius taught voice, and Ms. Williamson taught guitar and mandolin classes.
Glee

 

Although the college hired women as full-time administrative staff beginning with Cornelia Shaw in 1907, the college did not hire its first female faculty member until 1956.

 

In 1956, Dr. Caroline MacBreyer was hired as Visiting Associate Professor of Psychology, teaching courses on "Schools of Psychology," "Business and Industrial Psychology," "Experimental Psychology," and the major's survey course. Dr. MacBreyer came to Davidson from Queens College in Charlotte, NC and earned her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina.

 

Although Dr. MacBreyer was the female faculty member, Dr. C. Louise Nelson became the first female instructor to reach the rank of full professor. Dr. Nelson taught in the department of Economics. 

 

A widely respected scholar, Dr. Louise Nelson's legacy amongst female-identifying Davidson College students is complex as she navigated a male-dominated campus in a male-dominated field. Still, Dr. Nelson was an important mentor and advisor to generations of Davidson College students, and she also worked for the institution at a time of great change. Reflecting on her relationship with Dr. Nelson, Carol Connor Willingham (Davidson College Class of 1977) stated in an oral history interview dated October 5, 2020:

 

“My advisor for my major was Dr. Louise Nelson and she was one of, I think there may have been one other female faculty member, maybe two. Um, she was my advisor and Dr. Nelson was tough. She was really tough…but she and I had a different, a different, kind of relationship. She was wonderful and supportive until she found out that I was not planning to go to grad school after Davidson, and then the relationship chilled just ever so slightly. (CCW laughs) She was disappointed and (CCW laughs) when I told her I was getting married it chilled a little bit more. But over the years we, you know, we stayed in touch and I think she…I understood why the reaction that she had was the way it was. She wanted so much for me. And in her world, through her experience, the richest, most wonderful thing would have been to go to grad school…when I was a stockbroker right after Davidson, she did open an account with me, which I thought was very sweet.”

 

 

The number of women serving as faculty members continued to grow after MacBreyer and Nelson joined. Dr. Geraldine A. Dwyer joined the Department of Sociology and Anthropology for two years in 1970-1971; Dr. Jean S. Cornell became Instructor of Speech in 1971-1972 before being promoted to Assistant Professor in 1974; Dr. Cynthia Grant was hired as Assistant Professor of Biology in 1972, as was Dr. Lois Kemp, Assistant Professor of Spanish. Kemp also became the first female head of an academic department at Davidson in 1972.

 

In 1956, Dr. Carolina MacBreyer was hired as Visiting Associate Professor of Psychology, teaching courses on "Schools of Psychology," "Business and Industrial Psychology," "Experimental Psychology" and the survey course. Dr. MacBreyer came to Davidson from Queens College in Charlotte, and with a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina.
Caroline: A Personal Remembrance of Dr. Caroline Taylor MacBrayer
Dr. C. Louise Nelson became the first female instructor to reach the rank of full professor, in the Department of Economics.
Dr. C. Louise Nelson
Lois Kemp also became the first female head of an academic department at Davidson in 1972 as well.
Lois Kemp
Dr. Ruth Ault teaching a class, 1988 March 29

 

The firsts continued as Georgianna Ziegler became the first female instructor of English in 1973-1974. Dr. Tonia K. Devon joined the faculty as the first female Assistant Professor of Political Science in 1974-1975, and later became the Director of South Asian Studies (1974-1978).

 

Dr. Verna Miller (Case) also joined the biology department in the same year. Dr. Case would go on to chair the department for 16 years between 1993 and 2009. The French and Physics Departments both hired their first female faculty member in the 1975-1976 academic year. These were Dr. Elizabeth Chesney and Dr. Elizabeth Banes, respectively. 

 

In 1979, Dr. Ruth Ault was hired as the first Jewish professor at Davidson College. According to an oral history completed on February 22, 2019 by students Severine Stier, Dahlia Krutkovitch, and Cathy Xu, Dr. Ault taught in the Psychology department at Davidson College for nearly 35 years and also served on the search committee that hired Dr. Carol Quillen as Davidson College's first woman president. Dr. Ault's service on this committee was only one of the many ways she advocated for female-identifying faculty during her career. You can read more of her interview on the History of Jewishness at Davidson website.

 

Twenty years after the implementation of full co-education, in 1992, Professor Maurya MacNeil '87 made Davidson history, as the first female alumna hired into a tenure-track faculty position. MacNeil went on from Davidson to receive her Ph.D. in industrial psychology from Ohio State University. After completing her doctorate, MacNeil was hired to teach course on Research Design and Statistics, Tests and Measures, and Introductory Psychology at Davidson the following fall. Upon returning to Davidson, she remarked that "It's an honor, very much so. I want to pave the way for other women graduates, set an example, and fulfill the expectations that have been placed upon me."

 

 

 

In 1992, twenty years after the implementation of full coeducation, Professor Maurya MacNeil (Davidson College class of 1987) made Davidson history as the first female alumna hired into a tenure-track faculty position.

 

After graduating from Davidson, MacNeil went on to earn her Ph.D. in industrial psychology from Ohio State University. After completing her doctorate, MacNeil was hired to teach a course on Research Design and Statistics, Tests and Measures, and Introductory Psychology at Davidson. Upon returning to Davidson, Dr. MacNeil remarked that:

 

"It's an honor, very much so. I want to pave the way for other women graduates, set an example, and fulfill the expectations that have been placed upon me."

In 1995, Dr. Nancy Fairley, an anthropology professor, became the first Black female professor to earn tenure at Davidson College.

 

Dr. Fairley retired in 2014 after serving in numerous leadership capacities over the course of her 21 year career at Davidson. Dr. Fairley established the Davidson in Ghana summer program in summer 1996. The six-week program has become a revered study abroad opportunity for generations of Davidson College students. The November 10, 1995 Black Student Coalition newsletter, the Rainbow Revue, announces the program's launch, below. 

 

Dr. Fairley also led efforts to create an Africana Studies department at Davidson College. The major was announced in fall of 2013 with the department leading many of the course engagement and research efforts of Davidson College's Commission on Race and Slavery. 

 

 

Excerpt from the November 10, 1995 Rainbow Revue Newsletter
Photograph of Dr. Nancy Fairley, ca1995
"Curriculum Gains New Africana Studies Major," Davidson News, 2013 August 14

 

Professor Rosemary Zumwalt made a particularly important mark in the history of women of the Davidson faculty and staff when she became the first female faculty vice-chair pro tem in 1998.

 

This leadership position required Zumwalt to "represent and articulate the sentiments and concerns of the faculty to the administration and the trustees." An article from the Spring 1998 edition of the Davidson Journal reported on her impact in the college's history: Assuming the position just in time to chair the search for a replacement for Robert Williams as Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Zumwalt had her hands full. Already a very engaged anthropologist, students and colleagues knew her to be "evenhanded, sensitive, and perceptive," thus the Davidson Journal confidently reported that in a time of major turnover in the college administration, "the faculty leadership is in the hands of one of Davidson's finest--a revered teacher, scholar, researcher, trusted colleague and friend."

 

Professor Rosemary Zumwalt made a particularly important mark in the history of women of the Davidson faculty and staff, when she became the first female faculty vice-chair pro tem in 1998. A leadership position within the faculty, this position required Zumwalt to "represent and articulate the sentiments and concerns of the faculty to the administration and the trustees."
Professor Rosemary Zumwalt
"Game Changer Prof. Verna Case: A 45-Year Career and Indelible Impact on the College She Loves," Davidson News, 2019 August 02

 

In 2011, Dr. Verna Miller Case became Davidson’s first Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning and Research, spearheading the launch of the John Crosland Center for Teaching and Learning housed in the E.H. Little Library.

 

While serving in this postion, Case also worked as the college’s first Associate Dean of Faculty between 2016 and 2018. Case had long served in other leadership capacities on campus, including as the faculty coordinator of the Davidson in Zambia summer program since 2000. Through this program, generations of Davidson students gained critical first hand experience in international public health work.  You can read more about Dr. Case's career in the Davidson News article from August 2, 2019, above.

 

The annual Verna Miller Case Research and Creative Works Symposium began as the Alenda Lux: Symposium in 2017. In recognition of her extraordinary service to the college, the symposium was renamed in honor of Dr. Case after her retirement in 2019. According to the symposium's website:

 

The gift was made possible by her children – Jeff Case ’99, his wife, Lisa Green Case ’99, Jordan Case ’03 and his wife Johana Soto Case – to honor her 45 years of service to Davidson. Her career has touched many, including students who traveled to Mwandi, Zambia with her over 18 years, Davidson’s first Posse cohort whom she mentored, the Posse 6 students she presently mentors, plus more than four decades of students who entered her classroom for advice, counsel, and friendship.

 

This symposium was a dream of Dr. Case’s for many years, and Davidson is honored that it will carry her name for years to come.

 

In 2012, Gender and Sexuality Studies was offered as a new major at Davidson College. According to the Gender and Sexuality Studies department profile, a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies launched the following year. The addition of this program came after years of advocacy led by dedicated Davidson faculty. 

 

Dr. Sally McMillen, a celebrated professor and award-winning scholar specializing in "19th-century history of the American South and of American women's history," was one of these faculty leaders. In recognition of her years of service and leadership at the college and in the profession, the annual Sally G. McMillen Lecture in gender and sexuality studies is named in her honor.

 

"New Multidisciplinary Gender and Sexuality Program Celebrates a Year of Broad Community Support," Davidson News, 2013 May 07
Photograph of Dr. Sally McMillen with Students, 1990

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