Project on the Status and Education of Women (Association of American Colleges)

The Project on the Status and Education of Women (PSEW) was formed under the auspices of the Association of American Colleges (AAC) in 1971. At its inception, PSEW was the first national project concerned with achieving equity for women students, faculty, and administrators in colleges and universities. PSEW was primarily funded by grants, mainly from the Carnegie Corporation and the Ford Foundation. AAC sporadically provided monetary support for the project and its employees, and the project operated out of the AAC headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Bernice Resnick Sandler was hired as the Executive Associate and Director at the project's inception, and ran the project for the next 20 years. Sandler's previous experience had been in the nonprofit and government sectors; she worked with the Women's Equity Action League (WEAL) to file administrative charges on behalf of women college faculty, and as a Congressional subcommittee staff member, organizing the first hearings on women's status in employment and education in 1970. Sandler's numerous contacts throughout government, academia, and the women's movement aided her work with PSEW. Sandler's personal papers ( MC 558 ) are also held by the Schlesinger Library. The PSEW office usually functioned with a small number of staff: generally one to three higher-level researchers and a few lower-level administrative staff members. Margaret C. Dunkle was Associate Director of PSEW from 1972 to 1977. Her personal papers ( MC 530 ) are also held by the Schlesinger Library. Other higher-level staff included Roberta M. Hall (1980-1985) and Grace L. Mastalli (1977-1980).

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