BROOKINGS – Women’s and gender studies at South Dakota State University is under new leadership with the appointment of Rebecca Kuehl as program coordinator.

Kuehl, originally from Trimont, Minnesota, is an associate professor in communication studies. She has been a member of the Women’s and Gender Studies Advisory Committee since arriving on campus in 2011 and has been active with the award-winning Brookings Supports Breastfeeding community coalition. In June 2018, the group was honored for its work by the South Dakota Public Health Association.

Kuehl was actually notified of her selection as program coordinator in October, but at the time she was on a research sabbatical working on a book on public discourse about breastfeeding.

She hopes to use her connections with such off-campus groups to broaden the view of the Women’s and Gender Studies Advisory Committee. Kuehl also is trying to bring wider on-campus representation onto the committee, which currently totals 21. “I want to include people from all backgrounds,” she said. 

The program coordinator oversees the 18-credit minor offered in women’s and gender studies as well as co-curricular activities, such as the April Brooks Women of Distinction Awards.

There are currently five students seeking minors in the program, which is housed in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Kuehl would like to grow that number. “To do that we need to be connecting with students who are involved in similar co-curricular interests; that’s where we are going to draw our minors.”

Therefore, she has reached out to the Gender and Sexuality Alliance and the Feminist Equality Movement. “We’re hoping to make that connection stronger because we have similar passions,” she said.

Kuehl added that the women’s and gender studies program needs to become a strong voice on campus for social issues such as the #MeToo movement and gender violence.

The women’s studies program at State dates to 1980, when it was first offered as a minor, with renowned English Professor Ruth Alexander serving as its first coordinator (1980-84). She was followed by Eleanor Schwab, political science (1984-1993); Virginia Norris, psychology (1993-2000); April Brooks, history (2000-09); Christine Stewart-Nunez, English (2009-10); Meredith Redlin, sociology and rural studies, 2010-11; and Liz Tolman, communication studies (2011-18).

Tolman served until moving to Austin, Texas. Kuehl formally began in January.

Those wishing to serve on the Women’s and Gender Studies Advisory Committteemay contact Kuehl at rebecca.kuehl@sdstate.edu.