Mary Bunting
Encyclopedia
Mary Ingraham Bunting was an influential American
college president; Time
profiled her as the magazine's November 3, 1961, cover story. She became Radcliffe College's
fifth president in 1960 and was responsible for fully integrating women into Harvard University
.
, New York
, to Henry A. and Mary (Shotwell) Ingraham; she was known as "Polly" to distinguish her from her mother. Her father was an attorney; her mother was the head of the national YWCA
and helped found the U.S.O.
during World War II
. Bunting graduated from Vassar College
in 1931, and earned master's
(1932) and doctoral
degrees (1934) from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
in agricultural bacteriology
. While at Wisconsin, she met Henry Bunting, then a medical student, who went on to teach pathology
at the Yale University School of Medicine. They married in 1937, and had one daughter and three sons. He died of brain cancer
in 1954. In 1975, Bunting married Dr. Clement Smith, a professor of pediatrics
at Harvard Medical School
; he died in 1988.
, taught and conducted research at Bennington College
, Goucher College
, Yale University
, and Wellesley College before becoming dean, in 1955, of Douglass College
, the women's school at Rutgers University
in New Jersey
. She was named president of Radcliffe in 1960. The same year, she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
.
Once at Radcliffe, Bunting gained national attention for identifying a societal problem she called a "climate of unexpectation” for girls, which resulted in “the waste of highly talented educated womanpower.” She told Time:
Bunting brought change to Radcliffe. During her tenure, Radcliffe women began to receive Harvard degrees, women were admitted to the University's graduate and business schools, and the Radcliffe Graduate School merged with Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She also founded the Radcliffe Institute for Independent Study, a multidisciplinary postgraduate center of advanced studies for women; it was later renamed the Bunting Institute in her honor.
Bunting was named "Outstanding Woman of the Year" in the field of education by Who's Who
, and received the National Institute of Social Scientists' gold medal in 1962. In 1964, Bunting took a leave of absence from Radcliffe to serve on the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
; she was the first woman to ever do so. Bunting was a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and was awarded over a dozen honorary degrees. Smith College
, Southern Methodist University
,, and the University of Vermont
are a few of the schools to have honored her.
She left Radcliffe in 1972, and became special assistant to the president of Princeton University
, where she remained until 1975. She retired to Cambridge, Massachusetts
, and then to New Hampshire
, where she died in 1998.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college president; Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
profiled her as the magazine's November 3, 1961, cover story. She became Radcliffe College's
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
fifth president in 1960 and was responsible for fully integrating women into Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Personal life
Bunting was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to Henry A. and Mary (Shotwell) Ingraham; she was known as "Polly" to distinguish her from her mother. Her father was an attorney; her mother was the head of the national YWCA
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
and helped found the U.S.O.
United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military, with programs in 160 centers worldwide. Since 1941, it has worked in partnership with the Department of Defense , and has provided support and...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Bunting graduated from Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
in 1931, and earned master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
(1932) and doctoral
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
degrees (1934) from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in agricultural bacteriology
Bacteriology
Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classification, and characterization of bacterial species...
. While at Wisconsin, she met Henry Bunting, then a medical student, who went on to teach pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
at the Yale University School of Medicine. They married in 1937, and had one daughter and three sons. He died of brain cancer
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
in 1954. In 1975, Bunting married Dr. Clement Smith, a professor of pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
; he died in 1988.
Professional life
Bunting, a microbiologistMicrobiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
, taught and conducted research at Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
, Goucher College
Goucher College
Goucher College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts college located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland, on a 287 acre campus. The school has approximately 1,475 undergraduate students studying in 31 majors and six interdisciplinary...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, and Wellesley College before becoming dean, in 1955, of Douglass College
Douglass College (Rutgers University)
Douglass Residential College, located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is a part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and is the successor of acclaimed Douglass College . It offers a four-year, women-centered community that focuses on developing women's success...
, the women's school at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. She was named president of Radcliffe in 1960. The same year, she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
.
Once at Radcliffe, Bunting gained national attention for identifying a societal problem she called a "climate of unexpectation” for girls, which resulted in “the waste of highly talented educated womanpower.” She told Time:
'Adults ask little boys what they want to do when they grow up. They ask little girls where they got that pretty dress. We don't care what women do with their education.'
Bunting brought change to Radcliffe. During her tenure, Radcliffe women began to receive Harvard degrees, women were admitted to the University's graduate and business schools, and the Radcliffe Graduate School merged with Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She also founded the Radcliffe Institute for Independent Study, a multidisciplinary postgraduate center of advanced studies for women; it was later renamed the Bunting Institute in her honor.
Bunting was named "Outstanding Woman of the Year" in the field of education by Who's Who
Marquis Who's Who
Marquis Who's Who, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc., is the American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies...
, and received the National Institute of Social Scientists' gold medal in 1962. In 1964, Bunting took a leave of absence from Radcliffe to serve on the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
; she was the first woman to ever do so. Bunting was a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and was awarded over a dozen honorary degrees. Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
,, and the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
are a few of the schools to have honored her.
She left Radcliffe in 1972, and became special assistant to the president of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, where she remained until 1975. She retired to Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, and then to New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, where she died in 1998.
See also
- Radcliffe College History
- Radcliffe Institute for Advanced StudyRadcliffe Institute for Advanced StudyThe Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard is an educational institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and one of the semiautonomous components of Harvard University. It is heir to the name and buildings of Radcliffe College, but unlike that historical institution, its focus is directed...
Other sources
- Elaine Yaffe, Mary Ingraham Bunting: Her Two Lives, 2005.
- Significant Dates in Radcliffe's History