First woman department chair

In 1990, Dr. Elizabeth Cummins was named chair of Missouri S&T’s English department. She joined S&T as an instructor in 1967 after teaching five years at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

She taught classes on literature, science fiction and technical writing. Beyond her teaching and scholarly accomplishments, including three Faculty Excellence Awards, Cummins was one of the driving forces in the university’s establishment of a writing center and she co-directed, with Dr. Catherine Riordan, an award-winning “Women at Work” series.

Cummins was the first recipient of the university’s Woman of the Year Award in 1997 and in 2017, the Dr. Elizabeth Cummins Women’s Advocate Award was established. It goes to an S&T employee, regardless of gender or job title, who demonstrates commitment to women on campus through mentorship and advocacy.

Share This Story

Spark a Memory?

Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).

So April. Very Fools. Many Smart. Amaze.

So April. Very Fools. Many Smart. Amaze.

We don’t always pull pranks on April Fool’s Day. But when we do, we win. So proclaimed WIRED on their…

Nick Swanson and Julia Ingram

Nick Swanson and Julia Ingram

Although Nick Swanson and Julia Ingram met during an informational meeting for FRC Robotics during high school back in 2011,…

Non-stop innovation

Non-stop innovation

Dan Scott, a 1970 metallurgical engineering graduate, holds more than 100 patents and has dozens more patents pending. The technical…

Will Annunziata and Rebecka Connor

Will Annunziata and Rebecka Connor

Will Annunziata met Rebecka Connor in January 2016 while he was home on Christmas break from his first semester at…

Advice for tomorrow’s leaders

Advice for tomorrow’s leaders

Louis Smith, EE’66, president of AlliedSignal Inc., gave the commencement address to the graduating class in the spring 1993. The…

Builders of the bomb

Builders of the bomb

The U.S. government’s Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the first nuclear weapons, was a massive but highly…