Bernice Brown Cronkhite (23 July 1893 – 3 August 1983) was an educator and former dean of Radcliffe College, working there for thirty-six years. She was the first woman at Radcliffe College to earn a doctorate in political science.

Biography

Born in Calais, Maine, Cronkhite earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Radcliffe College in 1916, her Master's degree in 1918, and her Ph.D in 1920.[1] She became the first woman at Radcliffe College to receive a doctorate in political science, her thesis entitled, "On the Status of Armed Merchantmen".[1] At the age of 29 in 1922, she became the dean of Radcliffe College, making her the youngest person to become a dean in the United States.[2][3] She then served as the first dean for the Radcliffe graduate school from 1934 until her retirement in 1959.[3] Although she retired, she remained a vice president and trustee of Radcliffe College until 1960, when she was named dean emeritus.[1]

Cronkhite was the primary author of a 1956 report issued by Radcliffe College which summarized the experiences of several hundred Ph.D. holders from the institution.[4] In 1957, she raised funds to establish a women's dormitory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[5] In her thirty-six years of service to Radcliffe College, she had worked there longer than any other senior officer in the institution.[6]

She died on 3 August 1983 at the Stillman Infirmary of the Harvard University Health Services in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[1] The Cronkhite Graduate center at Radcliffe College was named in her honor, as a tribute to the 70 years that she was connected with the institution.

Works

  • Handbook for College Teachers (1950)
  • Graduate Education for Women: The Radcliffe Ph.D. (1956)
  • The Times of My Life (1982)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Walter H. Waggoner (5 August 1983). "Bernice Cronkhite Dies at 90; Radcliffe College Dean in 20's". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ "10th Anniversary-1983 People- Headliners". Boston Herald. 20 September 1992.
  3. 1 2 [No author] (6 August 1983). "[No title]". The Washington Post. p. B5. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  4. ↑ Eisenmann, Linda (2006). Higher education for women in postwar America, 1945-1965. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 72. ISBN 0-8018-8261-3.
  5. ↑ Walton, Andrea (2005). Women and philanthropy in education. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 320. ISBN 0-253-34466-2.
  6. ↑ Vetter, Herbert F. (2007). Notable American Unitarians 1936-1961. Herbert F. Vetter. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-615-14784-0.
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