Tag: Columbia University

Grants or Gifts Relating to Women in Higher Education

Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.

In Memoriam: Ida Schmertz, 1935-2026

In 1971, Schmertz co-founded the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Later in life, she became the first woman to serve as a senior vice president at American Express.

In Memoriam: Myra Dinnerstein, 1934-2026

Dr. Dinnerstein joined the University of Arizona in 1975 as founding director of the women's studies program. Four years later, she became founding director of the Southwest Institute for Research on Women.

In Memoriam: Gwendolyn A. Newkirk, 1926-2026

Dr. Newkirk was the first faculty member of color in the College of Home Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where served as chair of the department of home economics education for 20 years. Dr. Newkirk was also the first African American elected president of the American Home Economics Association.

Seven Women Scholars Selected for New Faculty Positions

The appointments are Katrina Armstrong at Columbia University, Melissa Schwartzberg at Princeton University, R.F. Kuang at the College of the Holy Cross, Khadijah Ali-Coleman at Coppin State University, Stacey Saunders-Adams at Ohio University, Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and Jess Jones at the University of Pennsylvania.

A Dozen Women Appointed to Administrative Positions at Colleges and Universities

The women who are taking on new administrative roles in higher education are Susan Monagan, Sherria N. King, Amanda Canales, Jamie Steiger, Talibah M. Bayles, Ellen Herbst, Janny Manasse, Traevena Byrd, Nicole J. Sakraida, Sarah Sussman, Michelle McDonald, and Gita Manaktala.

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic Wins the 2026 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Award

Dr. Vunjak-Novakovic, University Professor and the Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Sciences at Columbia University, was honored for her pioneering work in human tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Tracey Scherban Honored for Lifetime Achievement in Science and Education

Dr. Scherban taught chemistry in Portland Community College for 10 years. Since her retirement in 2019, she has organized an American Chemical Society symposium focused on women in science.

Princeton’s Nell Irvin Painter Recognized by the Society of American Historians

Professor Painter has been awarded for her distinguished scholarship in American history. Currently a professor emerita at Princeton University, she has authored nine books throughout her career.

Alison Vacca Wins National Book Prize in Armenian Studies

Dr. Vacca currently serves as the Gevork M. Avedissian Associate Professor of Armenian History and Civilization at Columbia University. She is a historian of early Islam working on the caliphal provinces of Armenia and Caucasian Albania.

PEN America Honors Edwidge Danticat for Achievement in International Literature

Edwidge Dantict, the Wun Tsum Tam Mellon Professor of the Humanities in the department of African American and African diaspora studies at Columbia University, is the author of 18 books, including works of fiction and nonfiction.

Columbia’s Amale Andraos Honored for Excellence in Architecture Education

Professor Andraos served as the first woman dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation from 2014 to 2021. Her scholarship focuses on climate change and its impact on architecture.