The early responsibilities of the University of Washington Dean of Women largely comprised enforcing rules (mostly social restrictions) designed for women only, such as early closure and visitation restrictions in women's dormitories. In the 1960s, under the leadership of Dean of Women, Dorothy Strawn, the University of Washington became one of the first large universities to eliminate a separate set of regulations for women. By 1970, when the Dean of Women post was eliminated, the office of the Dean of Women was initiating and directing programs that were grounded in the feminist ideas of the 1960s. When the Office was disbanded in September 1970, both its function and incumbent Dean were organizationally relocated to the Women's Programs Division of Continuing Education, which became the Women's Studies Office. Dorothy Strawn was the last Dean of Women in 1970, and the first Director of Women's Studies.
From the guide to the University of Washington, Dean of Women records, 1901-1973, 1960-1973, (University of Washington Libraries Special Collections)
