Margaret Watson

Professor and Dean, Quinsigamond Community College

I was the head of a department when there were very few heads of department and one of the male administrators in the college said to me, “Margaret, you look like a woman, but you think like a man.” But I don't think that was intended as a compliment.  I didn't take it that way because I'm not sure what that means. Well how do men think characteristically? How do women think characteristically? I would suggest that women concentrate on critical thinking. That they work with their analytical skills and they'd be objective about them. That they consider causality and extrapolation. I’m not sure that that is thinking like a man, but it’s how intelligent human beings should be. Use the data and make a judgment on that.

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Margaret J.K. Watson was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1936 and raised on a farm in Southern Michigan. Upon completion of high school, she attended the University of Michigan where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Education. She continued her graduate study at Ohio State University despite the limited opportunities that were provided to women at college level education at the time. She spent the next 36 years at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, MA, serving as faculty member, administrator, and Dean of Academic Affairs. She describes her efforts to help eradicate racial inequality on campus. Upon retiring, Margaret continued her role as champion for education by serving for over 12 years on the Wachusett School Committee and on the Mount View School Building Committee. She continued her crusade against discrimination especially within her own community. This was just one of the many social issues that she devoted her time to throughout her life and during her extensive career. Margaret is also a member of Worcester Women’s History Project and served on the Steering Committee. She is currently teaching various courses to seniors at the Worcester Institute for Senior Education at Assumption College.

Interview
Interview Date: 
March 17, 2019
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