Smith College Announces the Retirement of Eight Women Who Were Full Professors

SmithlogoSmith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, has announced that 13 faculty members have retired. Eight of the retiring faculty members are women who served as full professors. Five of these held endowed chairs.

ackelsburg* Martha A. Ackelsberg was the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Government and professor of the study of women and gender. Dr. Ackelberg is a graduate of Radcliffe College. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political philosophy from Princeton University. She is the author of Free Women of Spain: Anarchism and the Struggle for the Emancipation of Women (Indiana University Press, 1991).

bourque* Susan C. Bourque was the Esther Booth Wiley Professor of Government. She joined the Smith faculty in 1970 and later served as provost and dean of the faculty. Professor Bourque is the author or editor of several books including Women on Power: Leadership Redefined (Northeastern University Press, 2001). She holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University.

crow* Nora F. Crow was professor of English language and literature. She specializes in eighteenth-century British literature. Dr. Crow is the author of The Poet Swift (University Press of New England, 1977). Professor Crow is a graduate of Stanford University. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

reinhardt* Nola Reinhardt was a professor of economics. She was a co-founder of the Smith College Third World Development Studies Program in 1985 and she served as director of the program until her retirement. Professor Reinhardt is the author of Our Daily Bread: The Peasant Question and Family Farming in the Colombian Andes (University of California Press, 1988). Dr. Reinhardt earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

shuste* Marilyn Schuster was the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities. From July 2009 to June 2014, she served as provost and dean of the faculty. Dr. Schuster is the author of Passionate Communities: Reading Lesbian Resistance in Jane Rule’s Fiction (New York University Press, 1999). Professor Schuster is a graduate of Mills College and holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in French language and literature from Yale University.

seelig* Sharon Cadman Seelig was the Roe/Straut Professor in the Humanities. She is the author of three books including Autobiography and Gender in Early Modern Literature: Reading Women’s Lives, 1600-1680 (Cambridge University Press, 2006). Professor Seelig is a graduate of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

vandyne* Susan R. Van Dyne was a professor of the study of women and gender. She is the author of Revising Life: Sylvia Plath’s Ariel Poems (University of North Carolina, 1993). Professor Dyne is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where she majored in English and French. She earned a Ph.D. in English from Harvard University.

zulawski* Ann Zulawski was the Sydenham Clark Parsons Professor of History and Latin American Studies. Professor Zulawski is the author of Unequal Cures: Public Health and Political Change in Bolivia, 1900-1950 (Duke University Press, 2007) and They Eat from Their Labor: Work and Social Change in Colonial Bolivia (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1995).

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

Latest News

Jennifer Glowienka Named the First Woman President of Carroll College in Montana

“I have dedicated my professional career to this remarkable institution, which prepares ethical leaders who engage the world with purpose and hope,” said Dr. Glowienka. “I look forward to strengthening and expanding the ways Carroll fulfills its mission, serving learners across all stages of their educational journey.”

Susan Stuebner Elevated to President of Simpson College in Iowa

Dr. Stuebner has led Simpson College on an interim basis since July 28. She has nearly 30 years of professional experience, including service as president of Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire.

Shari Veil Appointed Provost at North Dakota State University

“It is a privilege to work with people who care so deeply about students, discovery, and the future of North Dakota,” said Dr. Veil. “With its strong academic profile and land-grant mission, NDSU is well positioned for meaningful impact, and I look forward to partnering with my fellow Bison to advance that work.”

Mary Ann Villarreal to Lead California State University, Dominguez Hills

“As one of the most diverse campuses in the CSU system, Dominguez Hills is a vital anchor institution for the community it serves,” said Dr. Villarreal. “A beacon of inclusivity, it inspires hope – both for the community and for higher education in California.”

Penny Elkins Named the First Woman President of Mercer University

A member of the Mercer University community for over 25 years, Dr. Elkins is slated to become the institution's first woman president on January 1. She has been serving as Mercer's interim provost.

Assistant Professor Tenure Track Position — Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Cardiovascular Institute

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania seek candidates for an Assistant Professor position in the tenure track.

Assistant Professor of Political Science, Quantitative Methods

The Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago invites applications for an Assistant Professor in Quantitative Methods. This position will begin on or after July 1, 2026.

Tenure Track Position in Macro-Organizational Behavior and Organizational Theory

The University of Pittsburgh School of Business seeks to fill a full-time, tenure-track assistant or associate professor position in the Organizations and Entrepreneurship Area, starting as early as Fall 2026. 

Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice and John Carter Brown Library Joint Postdoctoral Research Associate

The Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University and the John Carter Brown Library invite applications for a postdoctoral research associate position focused on any area/theme of historical scholarship around racial slavery, and/ or Indigenous dispossession and slavery.

Teaching Faculty Position in Information Systems and Technology Management (ISTM)

The University of Pittsburgh School of Business invites applications for a full-time, appointment-stream faculty position at the Clinical Assistant Professor level in our Information Systems and Technology Management area starting Fall 2026.