On Thursday, November 1, the UCLA Academic Senate, representing all departments and schools on campus, voted unanimously to approve our Proposal for a Women’s Studies Department, effective January 1, 2008.  This is wonderful news, because we have been operating as an interdepartmental degree program (“IDP”) for many years.  As an IDP, we were dependent on other departments to hire faculty with interests and expertise in women’s studies and to allow those faculty to teach Women’s Studies courses.  As a department, we will be able to initiate our own hires, as well as to provide a primary home to faculty who want to continue working in Women’s Studies.

During the fall we will be finalizing appointments in the new department for all the terrific faculty who have been affiliated with the Program.  Some will be full-time, others will split their appointments between Women’s Studies and their current departments.  This way we will build a core of full-time faculty while maintaining important connections with the rest of the campus.

On Thursday, October 16th, 2008, we are planning to celebrate the new department and other developments in Women’s Studies with a gala evening.  Watch the website  for announcements and news of the planned festivities.  If you are an alum of Women’s Studies, make sure we have your current contact information to receive a personal invitation.  You don’t want to miss out on this one!

My thanks to all the faculty, staff and students who have contributed in so many ways to this stage of our development, and to the many friends we have in other departments, professional schools and administration who have helped us through the process.  May all who read this message be lucky enough to work with such people!

Christine A. Littleton
Professor of Law & Women’s Studies