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Johns Hopkins University Women's Forum records

 Record Group
Identifier: RG-15-150

Scope and Contents

The records of the Women’s Forum range in date from 1987 to 1998. The record group includes minutes of meetings and supporting papers from 1987 to 1993, Minutes of the Advisory Committee from 1993 to 1997, administrative files, and a small collection of publications, photographs and videos.

Dates

  • Creation: 1987-1998

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.

All collections are closed except to office of origin or original owner until processed. University records are closed for 25 years from the point of creation.

Some files were originally designated a confidential status by the Women’s Forum; as a consequence, these files were closed and required permission of the Women’s Forum for release. This restriction was lifted at the direction of the records' donor in March 2020.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical / Historical

The Women’s Forum had its beginnings as an informal brown-bag lunch meeting of a group of women who used to get together in the Levering Hall Conference Room. The women at these meetings began to discuss how the needs of women at the University were not being recognized and compare experiences. This group of women decided to appeal to the administration for change. The University Administration dismissed them as being a radical group and their demands were not met. By mid-1980 the University administration conducted an official survey on the Human Climate of the Homewood Campus. The survey revealed that equal opportunities for advancement, equal pay, and fair treatment were lacking. However, still the administration failed to act and no changes occurred.

Determined that change must occur, this group of women organized a luncheon on the Homewood campus on April 10, 1987 and invited all faculty and senior staff to attend. Those present unanimously expressed interest in meeting as a group in the near future. The Women’s Forum officially began with the first meeting of the advisory board on October 10, 1987. Realizing that administrative support was vital, the Forum appealed to the Provost’s Office. The Provost accepted their initial proposal, resulting in the Provost’s Report on the Status of Women. Equal salary, recruitment, promotions, security, facilities, and representation have all been, and continue to be, addressed and improved upon. The Women’s Forum describes itself in its mission statement as being, “an advocacy organization established to improve the status of women, and thereby the human climate, in all divisions of the university. The Forum also seeks to facilitate communications among Hopkins women and to support and foster their professional development through education, social, and cultural programs and activities.” Some past chairs of the Women’s Forum are B.J. Norris, Catherine Evans, Barbara Northrop, Julie Morgan, and Pam Cranston. By 1997 the Women’s Forum had more than 1,400 members from University staff, faculty, and students and maintained caucuses for Homewood/Peabody, Applied Physics Laboratory, School of Advanced International Studies, the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, and Johns Hopkins Bayview. After 1997 the Forum underwent a change, abandoning its mission of advocacy in favor of a program emphasizing networking and career development. With the change in mission came a name change and the Women’s Forum became the Women’s Network.

Extent

2.88 Cubic Feet (2 record center cartons, 1 letter size document box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Women’s Forum officially began with the first meeting of the advisory board on October 10, 1987. The Women’s Forum describes itself in its mission statement as being, “an advocacy organization established to improve the status of women, and thereby the human climate, in all divisions of the university. The Forum also seeks to facilitate communications among Hopkins women and to support and foster their professional development through education, social, and cultural programs and activities.” The records of the Women’s Forum range in date from 1987 to 1998. The record group includes minutes of meetings and supporting papers from 1987 to 1993, Minutes of the Advisory Committee from 1993 to 1997, administrative files, and a small collection of publications, photographs and videos.

Arrangement

The records are arranged into two subgroups: (1) The Women’s Forum, 1988-1998 and (2) The Women’s Forum Advisory Board Meeting Minutes and Supporting Papers, 1987-1993. Subgroup one is further divided into three series: (1) Minutes and Supporting Papers of the General Meetings, 1993-1997; (2) Administrative Files, 1988-1994; and (3) Publications, Photographs, and Videos, 1990-1998.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Julie Morgan, Executive Assistant to the Vice President of the Board of Trustees and a former president of the Women’s Forum transferred the materials to the Archives. Most of the materials were files kept by Julie Morgan. The records of the Women’s Forum Advisory Board were maintained by Alison Wampler and also donated by Julie Morgan.

Accruals

Accession Numbers: 99.21

Processing Information

Processed by Allison Ward.

Source

Subject

Title
Johns Hopkins University Women's Forum records
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 N Charles St
Baltimore MD 21218 USA