State College Woman's Club

The State College Woman's Club was established in 1894 by Fanny Atherton as the "Woman's Literary Club for State College." The club was meant to provide women from State College with an outlet for scholarly expression. Earlier meetings took place in the Atherton home and centered on member presentations and guest speakers. The group was responsible for the formation of the Home Economics department at Penn State, which was founded in 1906. In 1910, the club officially became the State College Woman's Club.

The North Carolina State College Woman's Club (later the North Carolina State University Woman's Club) was formed in 1919 to "unite the women connected with the college in a common interest for the promotion of welfare and advancement of State College" (later N.C. State University). The club also sought to provide opportunities for faculty members and their families to become better acquainted with each other, striving to promote a sense of community for those involved in the university. Originally membership was open to all women connected with the university, though, especially in the early years, the membership focus was on faculty wives. Club activities were primarily social, especially in the early years. The club remained active at NC State as of 2008.

The North Carolina State College Woman's Club (later the North Carolina State University Woman's Club) was formed in 1919 to "unite the women connected with the college in a common interest for the promotion of welfare and advancement of State College" (later N.C. State University). The club also sought to provide opportunities for faculty members and their families to become better acquainted with each other, striving to promote a sense of community for those involved in the university. Originally membership was open to all women connected with the university, though, especially in the early years, the membership focus was on faculty wives. In 1925, men who were involved with the university were invited to become associate members.

Club activities were primarily social. The group held regular meetings, hosted dinners, teas, coffee hours, dances, bridge parties, and other events; and at times served as the de facto hostess group for State College social functions. Later years saw the club activities expand to include holding English conversation classes for faculty spouses and families whose first languages were not English, offering scholarships and loans to students, holding fashion shows, and producing cookbooks ( Favorite Foods From Faculty Kitchens, 1974; and Foods That Rate at NC State, 1983). The club also took an interest in North Carolina history and tradition, visiting area cultural centers and museums, touring various parts of the state, and bringing speakers to meetings to discuss activities like dairy farming. The club remained active at N.C. State as of 2008.