Page 1

1. Women's Studies Outreach:
Evolution at Extension
by Kathryn F Clarenbach and Dolores H. Niles
Introduction
From 1962 until the late 1980s, the three women who comprised the core
faculty of Women's Education Resources (WER) worked together in developing
and delivering a university outreach program on behalf of Wisconsin women.
Over those years there were many changes: in the title of the office, the
adminis-
trative units to which it reported, the program thrust and content, the size
of the
staff, budgetary expectations and requirements, and in general the levels
of
receptivity and cooperation both within and beyond the university. Throughout
these various changes, Constance F. Threinen, Marian L. Thompson, and
Kathryn F. Clarenbach worked closely together, rather as a collective. Consensus
followed their group discussions of assessed need and new directions, while
spe-
cific program leadership or involvement alternated, based on their individual
interests, expertise, and skills. As retirees, all three are pleased to be
honorary
members of the UW System Women's Studies Consortium.
The decade of the eighties was significant for the continued contributions
of
WER, across the state and nation. It was also significant in that several
changes
had a lasting impact on WER and the future of women's studies outreach in
Wis-
consin.
In many ways, events during the eighties took shape earlier. We will first
review the programs and contributions that marked the decade and then discuss
the changes and the impact of these changes as we move into the last decade
of
the 20th Century.
Program priorities are always strongly influenced by the social and political
climate of the times. To devise and develop agenda at the cutting edge of
positive
social change, we engaged in continuing investigation of the actual circumstances
of women's lives, the problems and barriers women faced, and the various
pro-
grams being proposed. Research, analysis, interpretation, dissemination of
infor-
mation, and then the selection of workable vehicles were prerequisites to
each of
those steps, to avoid duplicating what others were doing, and to live within
the
constraints of time and budget.
1