Loyola University Chicago

Women and Leadership Archives

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Women's Legacy

The Women and Leadership Archives (WLA) collects, preserves, and makes available permanently valuable records of women and women's organizations, which document women's lives, roles, and contributions.

News

  • Sister Carol Frances Jegen, BVM Remembered

    Carol Frances Jegen, BVM, an instrumental faculty member at Mundelein College for over 30 years, passed away on July 7, 2020. Between 1957 and 1991, Jegen served as the founder and director of Mundelein College’s Religious Studies Graduate Program, chairperson of the Peace Studies Committee that created the Peace Studies program, coordinator of the Hispanic Institute, and a dedicated Theology and Religious Studies professor.
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  • Glos Polek Newspaper Now Available Online!

    Glos Polek (The Polish Women's Voice), a publication from the Polish Women's Alliance of America, is now available online. Browse Glos Polek issues from 1902-2007 as part of the Women and Leadership Archives Digital Collections.
    GALLERY

  • Share Your Story: Student Life at Mundelein

    The WLA is launching “Share Your Story,” a project to expand and enrich our records of Mundelein College’s history, and we need your help! Through interviews with alumnae, we hope to gather memories, details, and stories about student life at Mundelein College. Priority will be given to members of the class of 1970, but all alumnae are welcome to submit their interest. Interviews will run approximately 20-30 minutes. Submissions will be collected through July 31, 2020. Initial interviews will take place June 22 – August 21, 2020. We look forward to hearing from you!
    PARTICIPATE

  • Carolyn Farrell, BVM Remembered

    Sister Carolyn Farrell, BVM, the last president of Mundelein College and founding director of the Gannon Center for Women and Leadership, passed away on June 14, 2020. The WLA remembers her life and leadership at Mundelein College and the Gannon Center.
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  • Organizing Your Personal and Family Archives: June 10, 2020

    Did you miss the event? Follow the link to view the slides from the presentation: Organizing Your Personal and Family Archives. Emily Reiher, WLA Director, presented information about storing and handling items safely, encountering outdated formats, purchasing supplies, and managing digital items.
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  • Mundelein Timeline Updated

    The Mundelein College Timeline has recently been updated with more photos and information. Follow the link for a more in-depth look at Mundelein over the years.
    VIEW

  • PWA Preservation Project Update

    The preservation project between the Polish Women's Alliance of America and the WLA is well underway! Read the latest update in the June 2020 issue of Fraternally Yours (Zenska Jednota), the official publication for the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association.
    READ

  • WLA 25th Highlighted in Salt Magazine, Winter 2020

    The Women and Leadership Archives 25th Anniversary was highlighted in the latest edition of Salt (a magazine published for friends & family of the Sisters of Charity, BVM). Read the full issue here!
    READ

  • COVID-19 Update

    March 18, 2020 Update: The WLA is closed to all onsite visitors until further notice. Please contact us at wlarchives@luc.edu with any questions or remote research requests.
    Effective March 16, 2020, the Women and Leadership Archives will be operating by appointment only for the Loyola University Chicago community (faculty, students, and alumni). These researchers are encouraged to contact the WLA to see if virtual accommodations can be made or if an in-person visit is necessary. All other in-person visits and events will be postponed until further notice. WLA staff are available to conduct research, digitize items, and conduct other services to provide access to collections remotely. For more information, please contact the WLA at wlarchives@luc.edu. Follow the link for information regarding Loyola University Chicago’s response to COVID-19.
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  • Welcome the new WLA Director!

    Please join us in welcoming Emily Reiher, the new WLA Director who started in January 2020.
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  • 2020 Color Our Collections

    The WLA is once again participating in Color Our Collections. From February 3-7, 2020, libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions around the world are sharing free coloring sheets based on materials in their collections. Please download, print, and share your favorites! Share your work with us using #ColorOurCollections and #COCWLA.
    PARTICIPATE

  • Explore the WLA's Digital Collections on Preservica

    The WLA's digital collections are now available on a new platform called Preservica. This tool allows us to manage digital collections for the long run by keeping secure backups and helping us to migrate formats over time as software changes. View fascinating documents, photographs, and artwork from the WLA's collections wherever you go!
    VIEW

  • Jean Fritz and the Chicago Seven Trial

    Jean Fritz, a 51-year-old mother of three, found herself in the middle of one of the most publicized a controversial trial of her time. She spent four months sequestered in a hotel and separated from her family and the outside world as she, and the other eleven jurors, held the fate of seven young defendants in their hands.
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  • Sister Jean: Back in the Day

    Before the world fell in love with her, we knew Sister Jean (Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM) from her long career at Mundelein College.
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  • History

    Why is there an angel on our webpage?

    Curious as to why there is an angel on the side of our page? Click here to learn more!