1988 Program Review

In 1988, Women’s Studies, like every other program in the state system, underwent the Board of Higher Education-mandated Regents Review, which consisted of a selfstudy and a review by scholars in the field. Women's Studies reviewers were Catherine Stimpson, Patricia Hill Collins, and Sara Evans. The very positive review recommended continued work to develop a graduate program, and stated that the program needed more faculty and TAships as well as better space. Of course hiring and space were constrained by the budget, though with the “overwhelming” growth of Women’s Studies course enrollment, more TAs were hired during the next academic year.³⁷ By the late eighties, the idea of a graduate program seemed to be a logical next step in the growth of the UMass program and the growing trend in the field. In 1989 the Faculty Senate approved a proposal for a graduate minor in Advanced Feminist Studies, but it was another eight years before a graduate program got off the ground due to financial and staffing issues.

³⁷ WOST newsletter Fall 1989