Remembering a Champion of Educational Equity and Expansion: Jacqueline Wexler

Authored by Amanda DeLisi

Taken during the 1983 Honors Convocation at Marymount Manhattan College, this photograph contains Jacqueline Wexler (Left) with several other Honorary Degree recipients on the day she received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters for her achievements in the humanities.

In 1983, at the Honors Convocation of Marymount Manhattan College, Jacqueline Wexler was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. Wexler, former nun and President of both Webster College and Hunter College, dedicated her life to fighting for educational equity for students of all backgrounds. In 1967, she renounced her vows and successfully gained autonomy from church control of Webster College, proving to the world that she was willing to take on even the Vatican if it meant that she would achieve her goals (Vitello 2012).

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