Corps hits 50 years since first women

The University of North Georgia (UNG) is about to hit the 50-year anniversary of the first women joining its Corps of Cadets. UNG became the first of the nation's six senior military colleges to have women in its corps on Sept. 16, 1973, four days before Virginia Tech.

Susan Harris, Jean Raines and Janet Walls were the first female cadets, and Walls was the first to commission as an Army officer from UNG.

Colleen Cannington Bryant, '78, started a year after the initial trio and commissioned before spending four years in the active-duty Army and 16 years in the Army Reserve. Bryant also had a long career in education through both teaching and school administration. Even now, her experience as one of UNG's first female cadets is something she brings up with her family.

"I want to make sure my own daughter and my granddaughter understand there should be no barriers to what you want to accomplish," Bryant said.

The women in the corps were initially in their own platoon, Foxtrot Platoon, and it was almost two decades before a woman lived on the same hall as the male cadets. Adrienne Clarke, '93, made that history after earning a leadership role in the corps.

I want to make sure my own daughter and my granddaughter understand there should be no barriers to what you want to accomplish.

Colleen Cannington Bryant, '78

Alumna who served in Army and Army Reserve for a combined 20 years

"For 50 years, female cadets have thrived in the Boar's Head Brigade. I am proud of the women in cadet uniforms today leading cadets at all levels of the brigade," Matthews said. "Their success today can be traced back to those women who had the courage to become the first female cadets in the corps."

Jenny Muller, '94, a UNG Foundation trustee and chair of the Development Committee, said she can only imagine the challenges the original UNG female cadets faced, and she's grateful for the path they paved. Almost two decades later, when Muller was a freshman, the Corps of Cadets had 24 women, including nine in her class.

"You have to be better. You have to be sharper. All eyes are looking at you," Muller said. "You are representing the whole company even when you're not. All eyes are on you because you're rare."

Muller serves as district sales manager for Insulet Corporation and has held a range of leadership roles in the business world. While she didn't commission into the Army, what she gained at UNG still benefits her every day.

"Nothing prepared me for life better than the Corps of Cadets," Muller said. "I not only know how to lead. I know how to follow."

Female graduates of the Corps of Cadets continue to make their mark in a variety of ways. Col. Greta Railsback, '99, became the first to become a full colonel with her promotion in October 2019. Railsback serves as commander of the Soldier Recovery Brigade at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Hayley Farmer, '22, graduated from the Army's Ranger School on April 7, making her the first female UNG graduate to complete Ranger School.

Deborah Stephens-Munoz, '79, spent 17 years in the Army. For her and others, joining the Corps of Cadets and then the Army was less about making history than pursuing their dreams.

"We did it because we wanted to be part of the military and go on active duty," Stephens-Munoz said. "We knew we were paving the way."