LibGuides: Reaching Out in New Ways: Highlights from the History of Alverno's Research Center on Women: RCW Women's Oral History Project: "Who are Our Students," 1988-1992

Who Are Our Students? An RCW Sponsored Oral History Project, 1988-1992

For four years beginning in 1988, members of a subcommittee of the RCW Interest Group worked on a project that grew "out of an awareness that our students have stories to tell, stories rooted in the personal historical context of their lives. Each woman has a whole history previous to her entrance to Alverno College, a history that brought her to the point of seeking higher education and seeking it in this particular environment." There were a total of 29 completed student interviews--24 from a random sample and 5 from a pilot project. Nineteen gave unqualified permission for use of their interviews. Eleven interviews were selected for deeper analysis.

Here are six pages from an overview of the oral history project featured in the final project summary statement. A link to the full project summary statement can be found below these pages.

You can read the full RCW Oral History Project Summary Statement from August 1992 which includes the six page overview found above. Here's the link. [PDF]

Summary Statement of the Work of the Oral History Project Committee of the Research Center on Women Interest Group, August 1992 To conclude the work of the past four years, the Oral History Project Committee prepared a brief summary of its work including an informal analysis of 15 interviews. Copies of this summary were given to each committee member, the Academic Affairs Office, the Office of Research and Evaluation, and the Alverno College Archives. Due to time and funding constraints the committee was unable to complete a more formal research analysis as originally planned.