Leading the way: A timeline of remarkable women of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities

In honour of Women’s History Month, learn the stories and legacies of several women from the social sciences and humanities at the University of Alberta who broke ground in their areas. 

1911: Jennie Stork Hill is the first female student to receive a graduate degree from the U of A. The master's degree in English and history was given to Stork Hill at the university's first convocation. She went on to become the second woman to hold municipal office in Edmonton. 

1913: Geneva Misener joins the Department of Classics as an assistant professor, becoming the first female academic at the U of A.

1915: Maimie Simpson and Hilda Shillington are the first women to graduate from the Alberta School of Business (then known as the School of Accountancy). Their achievement marks an important milestone in opening business education to women at the U of A. 

1915: Lillian Ruby Clements is the first woman admitted to the Alberta bar. She is also the first woman to receive an LLB from the U of A under the system in which a degree could be earned alongside a three-year articling period.

1929: Faculty of Law alumna Gertrude Elizabeth Bury is the first woman to practise law in Alberta. She also becomes the first woman in the British Commonwealth to address the jury in a murder trial. 

1954: Violet King is the first Black graduate of the U of A’s Faculty of Law, making her mark on the legal world when she is called to the provincial bar, becoming the first Black woman to practise law in Canada. She is also the first Black lawyer admitted to the Law Society of Alberta. Her legacy continues to inspire and in 2022 the university established the Violet King Henry Law School Award to support Black students pursuing law degrees.

1968: Stella Thompson is one of the first women to earn a master's degree in economics at the U of A. She later received an Alumni Honour Award in 2018 for national corporate leadership and advocacy for gender diversity in the boardroom. 

1974: Faculty of Arts professor Patricia Prestwich teaches the first courses at the U of A highlighting the history of women. 

1988: Winnie Tomm becomes the first tenure-track faculty member in what was then known as the Women's Studies Program at the U of A, marking a key milestone in the institutionalization of feminist scholarship. Over the years, the program continued to evolve, eventually becoming the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies in 2013, and launching its first graduate program (the MA in Gender and Social Justice Studies) in 2015.

1989: Patricia Clements a professor in the Faculty of Arts at the U of A, is appointed dean of the faculty, making her the first woman to hold the position. 

1992: Faculty of Law alumna Catherine Ann Fraser is the first woman to be appointed chief justice of a province in Canada, and at the age of 44, she became the youngest person ever appointed Chief Justice of the Alberta Court of Appeal. 

2000: Faculty of Law alumna Beverley McLachlin is the first alumna to become chief justice of Canada (2000–2017), and both the first Albertan and first female to hold the position. 

2003: The Honourable A. Anne McLellan, former associate dean (1985–1987) and acting dean (1991–1992) in the Faculty of Law, becomes Canada’s first  Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. 

2005: Fern Snart is appointed dean of the Faculty of Education, making her the first woman to hold the position. 

2005: Indira Samarasekera becomes the first female president and vice-chancellor of the U of A. During her term, she established the Killam Research Fund, which supports research, scholarship, and creative activities in the fine arts, humanities and social sciences.

2005: Patricia Demers, professor in the Faculty of Arts’ Department of English and Film Studies, becomes the first female president of the Royal Society of Canada, leading Canada’s most prestigious scholarly academy. A distinguished literary scholar, she was later appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2016 for her contributions to early English literature and service to the academic community. 

2015: Jean Clandinin, professor emerita in the Faculty of Education, becomes the first scholar from the U of A to receive the American Educational Research Association’s Division K Legacy Award. 

2020: Sarah Carter, professor, and Henry Marshall Tory Chair in the Faculty of Arts’ Department of History and Classics and the Faculty of Native Studies, becomes the first U of A scholar to receive the Killam Prize in the Humanities, one of Canada’s most prestigious research awards. 

2019: Barbara Billingsley, a professor in the Faculty of Law at the U of A, is appointed dean of the faculty, making her the first woman to hold the position. 

2019: Florence Glanfield, professor and chair of the Department of Secondary Education in the Faculty of Education, and a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, is appointed as the U of A’s first vice-provost, Indigenous programming and research. In this role, she leads the university’s efforts in Indigenous engagement, reconciliation and the development of the Indigenous Strategic Plan, supporting Indigenous faculty, students and initiatives.

2022: Carrie Smith, a professor in the Faculty of Arts’ Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies and former vice dean of the faculty, is appointed as the U of A’s first vice-provost (Access, Community and Belonging). In this role, she leads initiatives to advance equity, remove institutional barriers, foster inclusive campus communities and enhance accessibility and belonging across the university. 

2023: Casey Caines is selected as the first Indigenous person to clerk for Justice Michelle O'Bonsawin, the first Indigenous justice on the Supreme Court of Canada. 

2023: Tanya Harnett, professor in the Department of Art and Design and the Faculty of Native Studies, is appointed as the Faculty of Arts’ first associate dean, Indigenous Relations. 

2023: Evelyn Steinhauer, professor of Educational Policy Studies and director of the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program, becomes the Faculty of Education’s first associate dean, Indigenous Teacher Education. 

2025: Laura Beard, professor in the Faculty of Arts and former chair of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies, is appointed as the College of Social Sciences and Humanities’ first associate dean (Access, Community and Belonging).