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).

Sandy (Junge) and Brian Klein

Sandy (Junge) and Brian Klein

Sandy (Junge) and Brian Klein met in 1990 during lunch in the TJ Hall cafeteria. “Sandy needed a typewriter to…

Katie (Thompson) and Dan Aiken

Katie (Thompson) and Dan Aiken

Katie (Thompson), a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, and Dan Aiken, a member of Sigma Pi, were living next door…

Raíssa Sousa and Welenton Webler

Raíssa Sousa and Welenton Webler

Raíssa Sousa and Welenton Webler were both exchange students from Brazil when they met in August 2015. “We didn’t know…

Janet Kavandi on faculty support

Janet Kavandi on faculty support

Janet Kavandi, who earned a master’s degree in chemistry in 1982, discusses the importance of...

Raising support for scholarship

Raising support for scholarship

Zebulun Nash, who graduated with a degree in chemical engineering in 1972, was part of a team that got its…

EV pioneer

EV pioneer

As the auto industry begins to fully embrace the notion of electric vehicles, it has EV pioneers like Jon Bereisa…