Over 50 Years of Service

This innovative program helped students create visions for their future and connect with mentors through panels, discussions, and activities. Its success led to its adpotion by and integration into the UM Orientation Office's university-wide actitives.

The Ford Foundation awarded a $100,000 development grant to the Center to fund a study on the transition from education to employment as well as to use as seed money for the Center to support outside researchers studying women's lives.

The Visiting Scholar Program in Adult Development was established to allow a 1-year appointment of a social scientist working on the extensive data collected by Center researchers. Paula Pietromonaco and Janet Landman were the first Visiting Scholars, inaugurating a program that was later broadened to simply 'Visiting Scholars Program', and continued for over thirty years until 2017.

This fellowship is awarded to women graduate students in a humanities or social science field in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts held in the highest esteem by their faculty. These fellowships are provided through an endowment established by the late Margaret Earhart Smith in recognition of her friend Mary Malcomson Raphael.

Center begins collaborating with Washtenaw Community College to prioritize support for transfer students. This work would grow into Communty College Transfer Student Program.

Director Carol Hollenshead officially changed the Center's name from the Center for the Continuing Education of Women to the Center for the Education of Women (CEW)

Margaret Dow Towsley was instrumental in funding and perpetuating the CEW Scholarship Program. She provided $25,000 annually for the program and in 1990 her daughters approved a $1 million endowment from the Margaret and Harry Towsley Foundation that ensured the scholarship's continuation.

University President Jim Duderstadt worked with CEW to develop and implement the “Michigan Agenda for Women: Leadership for a New Century.” The goal of the Agenda was to promote “the success of women of diverse backgrounds.”

This scholarship provides support for women students in engineering, computer science, and related fields. Irma was a 1949 graduate of the College of Engineering at the University, one of two women in her class. Having benefited during her education from both the financial and psychological support of a Regents Scholarship, she established the Irma M. Wyman Scholarship to provide a similar boost to others.

CEW assumed management and sponsorship of the staff leadership program called the New Millennium Leaders Series. In 2005, it was renamed the Advanced Leadership Series.

In 2005, CEW and the University of Michigan’s Work/Life Resource Center (WLRC) have long been advocates for breastfeeding moms. As members of a committee addressing student parent issues in the mid-2000s, CEW and WLRC assisted U-M in developing a number of lactation sites across campus.

In 2006, Recognizing CEW’s long history of work on behalf of students with children, the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Lester Monts, commissioned the Center to create the Student Parent Policy Committee (SPPC). Their work was completed in 2007 after recommending actions that could be taken to address barriers for student parents and numerous resources were provided to support the needs of student parents.

CEW, the Provost, the Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, and Human Resources created “Abuse Hurts,” a groundbreaking, collaborative campaign to prevent and address domestic and sexual violence within the University community. UM Department of Public Safety gave Abuse Hurts its 2011 Director’s Award; in addition the College and University Personnel Association-Human Resources Midwest Region presented Abuse Hurts with its 2011 Excellence in Human Resources Management Practices Award.

The Beth Halloran Scholarship is awarded annually to students whose academic careers have been interrupted, and/or who are the primary parent responsible for minor dependents. As former Development Director for the Center, Beth's energy, intelligence, and integrity generated fundraising success, and nourished lasting relationships with donors.

In 2013, WCTF along with representatives from University Human Resources, the U-M Health System Human Resources Office and VOICES of the Staff Career Development Team, collaborated to create the Career Development Passport Pilot, a 12-month staff development initiative.

In 2016: COUNTS (Council for Nontraditional Students), a university-wide council comprised of faculty, staff, and students focused on supporting the success of underserved students through resource sharing, collaboration, and tracking emerging needs.

In 2018, CEW rebranded its mission and goals to expand and reach more students and community members. Traditionally known for helping women and nontraditional students, they now strive to empower all underserved communities at U-M and beyond.

In 2020, CEW+ created the Faculty and Staff Allies to drive change by providing guidance to students, faculty, and staff in their units. This group is comprised of Lecturers, Tenure track, Tenured Faculty, Clinical Faulty, Research Faculty, Post-docs, and Staff members from all units across our campus.

In 2022, CEW+ honored our students with its first in-person graduation ceremony. Our graduation celebration included CEW+ scholars and fellows, members of sponsored student organizations, participants in the coaching program, and CEW+ student employees.