Joyce Ruddel Ladenson

As a child during and after World War II and the Holocaust, by following the news and participating in family discussions, she developed an early consciousness of what it meant to be a Jew in the world. Joyce also developed a critical consciousness about domestic conditions during her high school years, when her mother and several teachers at Samuel J. Tilden High School were outspoken about social justice issues, including the right to freedom of speech.

As a first-generation college student, Joyce initially pursued higher education at Brooklyn College, where she continued to be influenced by professors who were outspoken about free speech. After earning her BA from Brooklyn College, Joyce pursued her MLS in Librarianship from the University of California, Berkeley, and her MA and PhD in English from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. As a graduate student, she was influenced significantly by the civil rights movement and participated in women’s consciousness-raising groups, which led her to become active in the second-wave feminist movement.

Joyce’s abiding commitment to feminist inquiry and activism shaped her long career at Michigan State University (MSU), where she initially arrived in 1968 to teach in the Department of American Thought and Language (ATL). Upon her arrival at MSU and working in close collaboration with colleagues and students throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, she designed courses and built a groundbreaking program focused on women and gender. From the early 1980s, she served as coordinator and later as director, leading the Women’s Studies Program for about 20 years. Joyce presided over the development of the Women’s Studies major and taught the first ATL course about women and gender. She also co-authored a successful proposal for a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to develop an introductory course in Women’s Studies. Joyce was also passionate about integrating Jewish women’s lives and experiences into the curriculum. She designed and taught several courses focused on Jewish women’s identity, experiences, and writings in the United States. In the mid-1990s, Joyce developed a popular set of study-abroad courses in London, England, which she continued to teach until 2014, even after her retirement from MSU. Focusing on the impact of gender, race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality on British women’s lives, the study-abroad program cultivated experiential learning with trips to various cultural events and historical sites within the city of London and beyond.

Her dedication to extending learning opportunities beyond the classroom was also evident on campus at MSU. Under Joyce’s leadership, the Women’s Studies Program actively organized campus events featuring nationally acclaimed feminist speakers. Over the years, the program sponsored over 40 visiting scholars, as well as a major national feminist conference focused on “Re-Visioning Knowledge and the Curriculum: Feminist Perspectives.” Coordinating this conference also led to her work in co-editing and publishing the MSU Press book, Doing Feminism: Teaching and Research in the Academy.

Joyce earned significant awards and honors for her teaching and leadership, including a prestigious MSU Teacher-Scholar award and an Outstanding Woman Award from the MSU Faculty Professional Women’s Association. She was also one of first recipients of a Committee on Institutional Cooperation administrative fellowship for academic leaders.

An aficionado of literature and the performing and fine arts, Joyce especially appreciated attending theatrical performances during her many years of teaching in London. She also appreciated the calming beauty of nature. Joyce was incredibly loving and supportive of her family and friends, and was always known for her caring nature, generosity, and warmth.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents and brother-in-law, Larry Novick. She leaves behind to cherish her memory her husband of 52 years, Mark, daughter Sharon, sister Linda Novick, brother-in-law Robert Ladenson, and niece and nephew Julie Nace and Bruce Novick and their families. Her kindness, empathy, and dedication to teaching, mentoring, and learning brought much joy and will always be treasured by her family, friends, students, and colleagues.