2021 marks the 50th anniversary of Eagleton's Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). When CAWP was founded in 1971, some observers thought it was a pointless exercise. Women’s minimal presence in public office suggested to some that the subject was hardly a phenomenon worthy of study. That tiny handful of women could not possibly have a distinctive or meaningful role. And the nascent women’s movement was just beginning to consider politics as a sphere for expanding women’s presence and impact.

Since that time, CAWP has been a nonpartisan voice central to creating awareness and understanding of women’s political participation, as well as in expanding that participation. The Center’s programs have both defined and enlarged the study and advancement of women in American politics. Each aspect of CAWP’s work informs and enriches the rest, and today, CAWP is the nation's premier resource on all things women and politics.

Watch this video of CAWP co-founders Ida F.S. Schmertz and Ruth B. Mandel, documenting the formation of the Center.

CAWP Women's History Month Resources

• CAWP Women Elected Officials Database - In 2020, CAWP launched the first public online tool documenting American women elected officials. The database is the most in-depth resource for data on women in public office in the United States ever created.

• Milestones for Women in American Politics - Visit CAWP's timeline of important moments for women in American political history.

Former United States Senator Barbara Mikulski spoke to the Rutgers community as the 2020-2021 Clifford P. Case Professorship of Public Affairs about her legacy of leadership and the status of our political institutions. Throughout her career of public service as the longest-serving woman in the Senate and in Congress, Senator Mikulski left cracks in the glass ceiling, breaking down barriers for women's entry into elected office and the American political system.

"I ran for city council and everyone laughed at me.. saying I didn't have a chance, but I won... It was unheard of that a woman could do that. The people were for me because I was for the people... Little did I know, I'd become the longest serving woman in American politics," said Senator Mikulski during her virtual visit. 

Mikulski also encouraged young people to get involved in politics and the democratic process: "Get involved. It is your time. It is your turn. You bring ideas. You bring energy and idealism."

As the Case Professor, Senator Mikulski also virtually joined three class sessions in various schools and programs throughout the university. Learn more.

Students from around the country will participate in a series of engaging virtual sessions and will have access to online resources; those participating in New Jersey will also receive a NEW Leadership® New Jersey care package and a daily food delivery gift card to defray the cost of their meals during the program.

Pending the reopening of Rutgers University, students in New Jersey will have the opportunity to attend a one-day, in-person, NEW Leadership® program in the Fall 2021 semester at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

Learn more about NEW Leadership® 2021, including application and participation information from our partner programs. Submit an application for NEW Leadership® New Jersey.

Students interested in participating must apply by Monday, April 19, 2021.

Did you know that Florence Peshine Eagleton, the Institute's founding donor and namesake, was a women's suffragist?

She led the state’s Women’s Political Union and became vice president of the New Jersey Woman Suffrage Association, leading a petition drive in Newark that helped convince the state legislature to ratify the 19th amendment. 

Once the amendment was ratified, Eagleton became the first president of the Newark League of Women Voters. She led the League in developing a series of “citizenship schools” to educate women for their new responsibilities as voters.

A New Jersey high school student, Anna Baird-Hassell, learned about Florence Peshine Eagleton's legacy as a suffragist during her internship at a local New Jersey chapter of the League of Women Voters.

Learn more about how Anna is working to recognize Florence Peshine Eagleton in the following Q&A.

Eagleton is currently accepting applications to the Eagleton Graduate Fellowship Program. Applications are due on Friday, March 26, 2021. Use the check-list below to make sure you have all your application materials together.

• Complete online application
• Resume
• Unofficial transcript
• Essay
  
• Three letters of recommendation are emailed to Eagleton separately to support of your application.

The New York Times: Sex and the Single Governor
“Ultimately what will matter is — will they get punished for speaking out,” said Debbie Walsh of the Center for American Women and Politics. “All three had a lot to lose.” Read more.

Politico: RGA looking to tie Cuomo, Murphy together on nursing homes, other scandals
"While New Jersey has lost more than 23,000 residents to Covid-19 and has the highest per capita death rate in the nation, the limited amount of public polling available shows Murphy remaining popular. The most recent public poll of Murphy’s performance, conducted in October by the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, showed his approval rating at 62 percent." Read more.

Essence: Why These Black Women In Politics Deserve A Seat At The Table
"President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris promised a White House that looks like America. And if all the women nominated to serve the country, back in January, are confirmed, the Biden-Harris Administration could boast the highest number of cabinet and cabinet-level offices held by women in history, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University." Read more.

Metro Focus: March 1, 2021
"We have to think about whether people should have third and perhaps fourth terms. The accumulation of power over time presents all kinds of problems - [including] problems of democracy... Certainly these allegations [against Governor Cuomo] ... raises questions about his ability to be effective and to truly represent the people of New York well," said Eagleton Professor Saladin Ambar. Watch the interview.

Unsubscribe

Eagleton Institute of Politics, 191 Ryders Lane, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

© 2021, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. All rights reserved.https://peshine.rutgers.edu/civicrm/mailing/unsubscribe?reset=1&jid=&qid=&h=fakehash