Timeline Timeline 17461746 Princeton University is founded, known then as the College of New Jersey. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.17751775 American Revolutionary War18701870 Cornell University admits its first female student18961896 College of New Jersey is renamed Princeton University19591959 Princeton University confers the Doctor of Humanities honorary degree upon opera singer Marian Anderson, making her the first African American woman to receive such an honor from the college.19641964 Princeton awards a Ph.D degree to a woman, T’sai-ying Cheng, for the first time. More Princeton History 19691969 An architect’s plan for a closet in Pyne Hall, one of the dormitories to be renovated in preparation for the university to start accepting women. Princeton Archives 1969 Princeton begins to admit women as undergraduates. 148 women, consisting of 100 first-years and transfer students of other years, enter Princeton on September 6. Women of the Class of 1970 1969 Yale University Begins Admitting Women1969 Princeton Women’s Center is Founded19711971 Carla Gail Wilson Graduates Carla Gail Wilson 1971 Princeton creates a women’s varsity intercollegiate sports program that allows intramural teams to compete formally with other schools.1971 Brown University merges with its sister Pembroke College and becomes coeducational.19721972 Vera Marcus becomes the first undergraduate African American woman to graduate from the college as a “Princetonian.” Vera Marcus 1972 Helena Novakova graduates Helena Novakova 1972 Title IX Is Passed1972 LGBT Center Is Founded1972 Dartmouth University begins admitting women.19731973 Helen Lee Zia graduates Helen Lee Zia 1973 The Society of Women Engineers is founded by 13 of the 17 women majoring in engineering.19741974 A group of Princeton’s Puerto Rican and Chicano students, including Sonia Sotomayor, petitions the Office of Health, Education, and Welfare to review the college’s Affirmative Action policy, especially Princeton’s deficiencies in addressing the concerns of Puerto Rican and Chicano students.1974 Sonia Sotomayor ’76 proposes the first student-initiated seminar on the history and politics of Puerto Rico, administered in the spring of 1974. My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor 1974 University of Pennsylvania goes fully coeducational19751975 Women are named valedictorian (Cynthia Chase ’75) and salutatorian (Lisa Siegman ’75) for the first time. Women at Princeton 1975 Debra Meloy Elmegreen graduates Debra Meloy Elmegreen 19761976 Alice Eve Cohen graduates Alice Eve Cohen 19771977 Jill Pilgrim becomes the first women’s track athlete to be a Heptagonal Games first-team performer, and the first black woman in League history in any sport to become first-team.1977 Joan Girgus becomes the first woman to be named Dean of the College. She served in this role until 1987.1977 Nina Garsoïan begins serving as Dean of the Graduate School. She served in this role until 197919781978 Tina deVaron graduates Tina deVaron 19791979 Sally Frank ’80 files a sex discrimination suit against all-male eating clubs. How the Eating Clubs Went Coed 19801980 Kimberlee Thompson ’81 becomes Princeton’s first female ROTC cadet commander.19821982 The Program in Women’s Studies is established with Nancy Malkiel (then Nancy Weiss), as its first interim director. Program in Women’s Studies 19831983 Columbia University begins admitting women.19871987 SHARE (Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources and Education) is founded. The first annual Take Back the Night march is held that year.19891989 Standing Committee on the Status of Women is formed.1989 Toni Morrison joins Princeton Faculty.19901990 Sally Frank wins her lawsuit against the all-male eating clubs. The eating clubs begin the process of becoming co-ed. Princeton University Archives 19911991 Last all-male eating club, Tiger Inn, becomes co-ed.19931993 Toni Morrison is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Tony Morrison Wins Nobel Prize 19951995 Amy Guttman is named Dean of Faculty.20002000 Amy Guttman is named Provost, the first woman to have held both positions. Provost Amy Gutmann 20012001 Shirley Tilghman becomes the first female President of Princeton University. Shirley M. Tilghman 20022002 Anne-Marie Slaughter becomes first female Dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.20032003 The number of female undergraduate students becomes equal to the number of male undergraduates.2003 Maria Klawe becomes Dean of Engineering and Applied Science.20092009 Alumna Sonia Sotomayer ‘76 becomes Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Sonia Sotomayor Takes Oath 20102010 Alumna Elena Kagan ‘81 becomes Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Elena Kagen Sworn In 20142014 A review focusing on the wages of male and female professors from 2012-2014 begins. This leads to the discovery of gendered disparities in compensation that affected 106 female professors.20202020 Princeton agrees to pay $1.2 million to female professors, addressing the pay gaps found in the 2014 review.
