A Committee on Women's Studies was created in 1972 to address the needs of the College of Arts and Science in the area of Women's Studies at Vanderbilt University.

Yet while Women's Studies courses have been officially offered since the spring of 1973, it wasnít until 1988 that the program appointed its first director, Nancy Walker (English). Professor Walker ably helmed the program through its early stages, including getting the minor in Women's Studies approved in May 1990. In 1997, under the leadership of Professor Ronnie Steinberg (Sociology), the program flourished. With her enthusiastic guidance, the program began to offer a major and a Graduate Certificate in Gender Studies. Student enrollment in Women's Studies courses increased to over 700, of which 60 were majors and minors.
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