Caroline Colvin
Encyclopedia
Caroline Colvin was an American
academic. She served as chair of the University of Maine
history
department from 1906 to 1932, making her the first woman in the nation to head a major university department.
Dr. Colvin came to the University in 1902 at a time when the land grant University was expanding its liberal arts
programs to accompany its strong engineering
and agricultural
programs.
Dr. Colvin's service at the university was marked by a series of firsts. In addition to being the first woman in the nation to head a major university department, Dr. Colvin was also the first woman on the University of Maine faculty, the first woman to lead a University of Maine department, and the University's first dean of women.
As dean of women, Dr. Colvin advocated increased women's sports
, and was a supporter of the Women’s Student Government. She was the first ever honorary member of the All Maine Women honor society
.
Dr. Colvin is the namesake of Colvin Hall, a facility used by the University of Maine Honors College. The facility houses both the Thomson Honors Center and a residence facility for Honors students. It was initially an all-women's dormitory where Dr. Colvin herself resided as House Mother. In the 1970s, it housed a campus co-op program where residents prepared their own meals until 1999 when it became the honors building.
Dr. Colvin continues to live in University folklore. The Northeast Archives of Folklore, at the Maine Folklife Center (also at the University of Maine), contains interviews of numerous people who attest to seeing a female ghost roaming the halls of Colvin Hall—some speculating it to be Dr. Colvin herself.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
academic. She served as chair of the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
department from 1906 to 1932, making her the first woman in the nation to head a major university department.
Dr. Colvin came to the University in 1902 at a time when the land grant University was expanding its liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
programs to accompany its strong engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
programs.
Dr. Colvin's service at the university was marked by a series of firsts. In addition to being the first woman in the nation to head a major university department, Dr. Colvin was also the first woman on the University of Maine faculty, the first woman to lead a University of Maine department, and the University's first dean of women.
As dean of women, Dr. Colvin advocated increased women's sports
Women's sports
Women's sports include amateur and professional competitions in virtually all sports. Female participation in sports rose dramatically in the twentieth century, especially in the last quarter, reflecting changes in modern societies that emphasized gender parity...
, and was a supporter of the Women’s Student Government. She was the first ever honorary member of the All Maine Women honor society
Honor society
In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America...
.
Dr. Colvin is the namesake of Colvin Hall, a facility used by the University of Maine Honors College. The facility houses both the Thomson Honors Center and a residence facility for Honors students. It was initially an all-women's dormitory where Dr. Colvin herself resided as House Mother. In the 1970s, it housed a campus co-op program where residents prepared their own meals until 1999 when it became the honors building.
Dr. Colvin continues to live in University folklore. The Northeast Archives of Folklore, at the Maine Folklife Center (also at the University of Maine), contains interviews of numerous people who attest to seeing a female ghost roaming the halls of Colvin Hall—some speculating it to be Dr. Colvin herself.
Sources
- "Dr. Caroline Colvin Honored," by Dr. Ava Harriet Chadbourne ’15. October 1930 issue of The Maine Alumnus http://www.honors.umaine.edu/community/colvin/carolinecolvin.htm
- University of Maine Honors College—Colvin Hall http://www.honors.umaine.edu/community/colvin.htm