Millicent Carey McIntosh

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Millicent Carey McIntosh, circa 1956

Millicent Carey McIntosh (November 30, 1898 – January 3, 2001) was an educational administrator and American feminist who led the Brearley School (1930–1947), and most prominently Barnard College (1947–1962).[1] The first married woman to head one of the Seven Sisters, she was "considered a national role model for generations of young women who wanted to combine career and family," advocating for working mothers and for child care as a dignified profession.[2]

Early life[edit]

McIntosh was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 30, 1898 to Anthony Morris Carey and Margaret Cheston Thomas, both active Quakers.[3] She was also a Quaker.[4] Her mother was a member of Bryn Mawr College's first graduating class (1889).[5] Her aunt, M. Carey Thomas, also a leader in women's education, founded the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore and served as the president of Bryn Mawr College.[2][3]

McIntosh attended Bryn Mawr College for her undergraduate, majoring in Greek and English and graduating in 1920 magna cum laude.[3][5] After graduating, she worked for the YWCA as a social worker in Baltimore, and acted as a summer school tutor at Bryn Mawr in 1922, then moved to study abroad upon the suggestion of her aunt.[6][7][4] McIntosh studied economics at Cambridge University, and earned an English Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University with a dissertation on 14th century mystery plays.[2] After graduating with her Ph.D. in 1926, McIntosh became an assistant professor of English at Bryn Mawr College.[5] Shortly afterward, she was appointed dean of freshman and then acting dean of the college. In 1930, she was appointed as the headmistress for the Brearley School, a position she held for seventeen years.[8][7] She converted the school from a half-day format to full-day, and pioneered a sex education class for sixth grade students at Brearley.[1][3]

In 1932, she married pediatrician Rustin McIntosh, with whom she had five children.[9][10]

Barnard career[edit]

McIntosh became Dean of Barnard College in 1947, and became the institution's first President in 1952.[8][11] As the president, McIntosh doubled Barnard's endowment and was able to increase faculty salaries by initiating Operation Bootstrap, a campaign that solicited funding from alumnae and donors like John D. Rockefeller.[8][7] She also helped to centralize the Barnard Fund and begin forming long-term development plans for the school, which allowed for the renovation of Milbank Hall and the construction of the Minor Latham Playhouse, Lehman Hall, and Reid Hall.[8] She also used funds from the school's endowment to create more merit scholarships, opening the college to many underrepresented groups.[3] McIntosh worked closely with Columbia presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Grayson Kirk during her tenure.[8] In 1948, she was awarded the Roosevelt Medal of Honor.[12] She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1966.[13] McIntosh also volunteered as a trustee of the New York Public Library, and was the first woman to sit on the board of CBS.[14][10]

McIntosh retired in 1962 and was replaced by Rosemary Park.[8] After Barnard, she helped to found Kirkland College in the 1960s, serving as the chair of the founding advisory board.[15]

In 1992, she received the Barnard College Medal of Distinction.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Arenson, Karen W. (November 19, 1998). "Feminist's Centennial". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b c Arenson, Karen W. (January 5, 2001). "Millicent McIntosh". The New York Times.
  3. ^ a b c d e Arenson, Karen W. (2001-01-05). "Millicent McIntosh, 102, Dies; Taught Barnard Women to Balance Career and Family". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  4. ^ a b "A Tribute to Millicent Carey McIntosh". Friends Journal. 2002-04-01. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  5. ^ a b c "Millicent C. McIntosh | Barnard 125". Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  6. ^ Heller, Rita; Cobble, Dorothy Sue (1984), Kornbluh, Joyce L.; Frederickson, Mary (eds.), "Blue Collars and Bluestockings: The Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers, 1921–1938", Sisterhood and Solidarity, Workers' Education for Women, 1914-1984, Temple University Press, pp. 107–146, retrieved 2024-01-30
  7. ^ a b c Rayner, William P. (1983). Wise women : singular lives that helped shape our century. Internet Archive. New York : St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-88415-4.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Past Leaders of the College". Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  9. ^ "Rustin McIntosh Dies; Ex-Chief of Pediatrics". The New York Times. February 19, 1986. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Bellafaire, Judith Lawrence (2006). "Public Service Role Models: The First Women of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services". Armed Forces & Society. 32 (3): 424–436. doi:10.2307/48608684. ISSN 0095-327X.
  11. ^ Greenbaum, Lucy (September 21, 1947). "Barnard's New Dean". The New York Times.
  12. ^ Germain, Rosie (2013). "READING "THE SECOND SEX" IN 1950s AMERICA". The Historical Journal. 56 (4): 1041–1062. ISSN 0018-246X.
  13. ^ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter M" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  14. ^ Krebs, Albin (1973-02-16). "Woman Will Counsel Women Employes at C.B.S." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  15. ^ Miller-Bernal, Leslie (2000). Separate by degree : women students' experiences in single-sex and coeducational colleges. Internet Archive. New York : P. Lang. ISBN 978-0-8204-4412-3.
  16. ^ Howe, Marvine (1992-05-13). "COMMENCEMENT; Barnard Chief Urges Women To Be Leaders". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
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