Greenville University awarded grant to highlight history of women at GU
Published: February 03, 2023
Greenville University is pleased to announce its receipt of a two-year grant that enables it to capture and preserve the stories of women leaders throughout its history.
The Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) awarded GU with a $39,354 Grant for Reframing the Institutional Saga from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC).
This grant enables GU to tell its story of growth, influence, and relevance through the lens of women connected with it. It also provides opportunities for GU students to gain hands-on experience in historical research.
Brian Hartley, GU professor and dean emeritus, serves as project director. Hartley, a historical theologian, says he’s passionate about this project because preserving the stories and the foundational work of women at the University is important to today.
“It’s important to connect your present circumstances with your past history—providing a focus so you can help inform the present,” Hartley says.
Hartley adds that most of GU’s senior leadership are women—something that is unusual in Christian higher education. He notes that many stories of women leaders throughout GU’s 130-year history are buried and unpublished. The grant offers a great opportunity to tell their stories as part of GU’s long history of the importance of women in higher education.
Greenville University President Suzanne Allison Davis and GU Board of Trustees President Kathleen Turpin. President Davis serves as the University’s 13th president and first female president.
Greenville College (now University) was established in 1892, when members of the Central Illinois Conference of the Free Methodist Church purchased the campus of Almira College in Greenville, Illinois. Almira College had served women since 1855 during the first wave of colleges devoted to a liberal arts education for women throughout the Midwest. The key focus of research for this grant project includes the pioneering role GU played in training, empowering, and employing women for leadership.
To help in that research, the grant award covers stipends for up to 10 students.
“I’ve always believed we’re here for students,” Hartley says. “I learned how to lead when I was a student here—I became student body president, served during a presidential transition, and learned a lot of the ropes on how to do research from a couple of women faculty members in the English department.”
Students will conduct original research on influential women at GU and present their work at Homecoming 2024. They will create written materials and videos to be used in future University publications, on the website, and in communication with University employees.
GU’s Chief Culture and Diversity Officer Katrina Lopez Liss will oversee the project. The project advisory group and project participants include GU interim archivist Sharon Grimes, University staff, faculty, and Board of Trustees members, as well as Free Methodist Church representatives.
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More about the NetVUE Grant for Reframing the Institutional Saga
Many NetVUE member colleges and universities have strong historical ties to a specific religious tradition, a particular educational philosophy, or a pioneering educator. These elements of an institution’s heritage are important, but their significance may not always be clear in the midst of changes in the institution's demographic profile, surrounding community, and founding organizations. These changes can influence student recruitment and retention, curriculum design, and the composition of faculty. The purpose of this grant program is to enable institutions to produce an updated account of their history and mission in light of their current context. This initiative is being administered by CIC with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc. For more information, click here.
