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125th anniversary

Celebrating 125 Years of Women at WVU... The Legacy Continues

May 2016 marked the 125th anniversary of the graduation of the first woman to earn a degree at West Virginia University. The Center for Women's and Gender Studies, in conjunction with other WVU agencies, celebrated this anniversary throughout the year with a number of events.

Among these events was the raising of the WVU Women’s Centenary Time Capsule, which was buried on March 20, 1991. This time capsule was buried to commemorate the 10 brave women who enrolled at WVU in 1889 and the one woman who graduated in 1891, Harriett E. Lyon. The time capsule was dedicated and buried to be opened every 25 years until the bi-centennial in 2091. It was reburied with additional materials in the fall.

Events

March 15-17
WVU Libraries Symposium, "West Virginia University Women: Celebrating 125 Years" with Keynote Address by Gina Barreca, professor of English and feminist theory at the University of Connecticut and one of the first women to attend Dartmouth College in the 1970s.

April 5, 2016
Time Capsule Opening Ceremony in Woodburn Circle. Reception followed in E. Moore Hall.

April 7, 2016
Panel discussion: “For Whom Should Feminists Vote?” 

April 14, 2016
Honors and Awards Ceremony and Capstone Colloquium in E. Moore Hall. The event featured capstone research from 13 students. 

April 19, 2016
Women’s and Gender Studies Fair in the Mountainlair Ballrooms featured group research projects from over 350 students. 

October 5, 2016 
Festival of Ideas: Charlotte Bunch 

October 9-14
Diversity Week

October 20
Lyon Tower Celebration recognized   the namesake of the residence hall, Harriet Lyon, the first woman to graduate from WVU. 

October 28—November 6, 2016
Mountaineer Week featured Women in Appalachia and celebrated 125 years of women at WVU. 

November 2, 2016 - Note change of date
The time capsule was reburied with additional artifacts.