Before the founding of New Jersey College for Women in 1918, women gained access to Rutgers through the programs organized by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and the Extension Services and its summer short courses. These programs were meant to provide knowledge to urban and rural women as a way to improve their lives. Both programs still exist at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and provide valuable service for New Jersey residents.
The information from this page is from the presentation by Meaghan Moody titled Invisible Women at Rutgers. 2016.
"(NJAES) is the third experiment station to be established in the nation. Its two functions are to conduct research and help residents of the state put this knowledge into work." Both women and men of New Jersey enrolled in course work relating to agriculture and farming.
The NJAES employed women in support positions. Mary (Whitaker) O'Connell worked for the university beginning in 1893 as the NJAES director's secretary. She also served as the librarian.
The Home Economics Department of the New Jersey College for Women was originally offered under the extension service, and women home demonstration agents gave urban and rural women practical and up-to-date instruction on different skills, ranging from poultry husbandry, evaluating cows, or feeding the baby to elevate standards. During the World War II, home emergency demonstration agents were appointed in several communities.
Class in poultry husbandry
Learning to evaluate cows