{"id":220,"date":"2011-01-14T02:19:47","date_gmt":"2011-01-14T02:19:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/researchbdev.wpengine.com\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/?p=220"},"modified":"2011-12-09T16:43:17","modified_gmt":"2011-12-09T16:43:17","slug":"susan-jacobsons-commencement-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/process-of-coeducation\/susan-jacobsons-commencement-address\/","title":{"rendered":"Susan Jacobson’s Commencement Address"},"content":{"rendered":"

First Female Graduate Delivers Commencement Address<\/strong><\/p>\n

In her bold and eloquent 1971 commencement address, Bowdoin\u2019s first female graduate, Susan Jacobson, assuages some common concerns about coeducation at Bowdoin and proposes insightful recommendations for the future of the college as a successfully coeducational institution (Document AK, 22).<\/p>\n

Making a point to contextualize Bowdoin\u2019s efforts not only in the contemporary world but also within history, Jacobson points to Bowdoin\u2019s responsibility to seek out an international student body. Noting that other nations had long ago realized their \u201cwoman power,\u201d Jacobson hopes that the United States \u2013 and hopefully Bowdoin itself \u2013 will \u201c[\u2026] someday be able to boast of having educated an Indira Ghandi or a Golda Meir.\u201d Jacobson adds that allowing women to study at Bowdoin serves as a meaningful way to honor the many women who worked for and committed themselves to Bowdoin in non-academic ways in the past.<\/p>\n

Jacobson is careful to note that the admission of women poses no threat to the preexisting academic and administrative features that make Bowdoin so effective and well respected. With what may be a hint of sarcasm she writes, \u201cSo firmly established are these areas that they need not fear any injury by the \u201cweaker sex.\u201d\u201d On the contrary, she says, the presence of women serves to enhance already prestigious academic departments while helping to develop and improve the arts and humanities. She further asserts that, \u201cMany wild speculations as to what the co-eds will be like and much needless worrying stem from a failure to realize that these girls have wants, interests, and aims similar to the male contingent. Instead of viewing these women as invaders from another galaxy, one should and must accept them as a complement to the male student body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacobson mentions but does not dwell on the adversity that many of these first Bowdoin women faced. She concludes with the hopeful sentence, \u201cFrom now on [the alma mater] should read \u201cBowdoin from birth the nurturer of men, and now of women.\u201d Little could she have imagined that in 1994, Anthony Antolini ’63, director of the Bowdoin Chorus, would honor Bowdoin\u2019s bicentennial by officially altering the lyrics of the song to be more gender-inclusive, changing the words \u201cnurturer of men\u201d to \u201cnurturer and friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We were unable to reprint this speech in its entirety. If you would like to read the entire speech, please visit the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections and Archives, Bowdoin College<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jacobson, Susan. \u201cCommencement Address,\u201d Class Records, Class of 1971 [1.6.166], Bowdoin College Archives, Brunswick, Maine.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First Female Graduate Delivers Commencement Address In her bold and eloquent 1971 commencement address, Bowdoin\u2019s first female graduate, Susan Jacobson, assuages some common concerns about coeducation at Bowdoin and proposes insightful recommendations for the future of the college as a successfully coeducational institution (Document AK, 22). Making a point to contextualize Bowdoin\u2019s efforts not only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,3],"tags":[72,180,71,178,179,70],"class_list":{"0":"post-220","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-documents-process-of-coeducation","7":"category-process-of-coeducation","8":"tag-ak22","9":"tag-anthony-antolini","10":"tag-commencement-address","11":"tag-golda-meir","12":"tag-indira-ghandi","13":"tag-susan-jacobson","14":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.bowdoin.edu\/forty-years-the-history-of-women-at-bowdoin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}