Barnard Summer School for Women Workers in Industry

The Barnard College Summer School for Women Workers in Industry was established in 1927 as a part of the Affiliated Summer Schools for Women Workers in Industry. The Barnard Summer School operated on the model of the Bryn Mawr Summer School (which operated from 1921-1938), the pioneer summer program for female industrial workers started by Bryn Mawr’s president, M. Carey Thomas, and its undergraduate dean, Hilda W. Smith. Unlike the program at Bryn Mawr, the Barnard Summer School was non-residential. Its urban students stayed in their own homes and travelled to Barnard each day, staying from 9 AM to 9.30 PM. Lunch was served in the cafeteria, and as well as academic classes, students had recreational sports, such as tennis, music instruction, social hour, and various lectures from Labor Movement speakers. The School’s intent was to aid female industrial workers, many of whom were recent immigrants, in their quest for self-improvement with a humanist, practical educational experience so that these women might continue to lead and organize fellow workers once they returned to the factory. The Barnard College Summer School for Women Workers in Industry ran for seven years, closing its doors in 1933.