University of Nevada, Reno Debuts New Website Documenting the History of Women on Campus

To celebrate Women’s History Month, the University of Nevada, Reno has launched a new interactive website that details the history of women on the Reno campus. The exhibit includes the history of the suffrage movement on campus, women in science, women bridging cultural divides, the rise of feminism, women in medicine, women’s sororities, and women’s clubs and secret societies.

Among the interesting features on the website is the story of Hannah Clapp, who came to Nevada on a wagon train and in 1887 – at the age of 63 – was the first woman hired to the university’s faculty. She taught history and English and organized the university’s library.

The project was created by Natasha Majewski, a curator at the university’s library. “Women’s social norms and roles have shifted since the inception of the University,” Majewski said. “Through photographs, audio clips, newspapers and yearbooks, we can begin to understand a small part of the story, history and significant role women have played on campus.”

“The goal of this project is to help current Nevada female students, faculty and staff recognize the achievements of the women who have come before us,” Majewski added. “The project is a source of pride and illustrates the hard-fought battle female history-makers on campus endured to help future generations succeed.”