The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, is honoring its first group of women students by placing a historical plaque on a wall on the outside of the Wren Building on campus. The marble plaque will contain the names of 24 women who enrolled at the college in 1918. At that time, the College of William and Mary became the first state-operated university in Virginia to admit women.
In addition to the names of the first women students, the plaque reads in part: “These women paved the way for the more than 50,000 women who have followed them as students and alumnae. They also laid the foundation for the inclusion of women in the fabric of William & Mary – as faculty, staff, administrators, coaches, deans, provost, and president. . . . We honor these women’s initiative, leadership, camaraderie, resolve, resilience, endurance, and willingness to be the first.”
The College of William and Mary will hold a year-long celebration beginning this fall commemorating the 100th anniversary of co-education at the educational institution.