Fannie Y. Mitchell

Fannie Mitchell came to Duke University in 1941 as the assistant to W. M. Upchurch Jr., the director of the Career Development Center, formerly University Placement Services. When he left the next year to enter the military service for World War II, Ms. Mitchell became acting director of the office. Several years later, the word “acting” was dropped from her title. “She was very likely the most outstanding placement person in the business,” Upchurch later said. “At one time, there wasn’t a better known person on campus.” She helped to launch thousands of successful careers. When Ms. Mitchell started at Duke, 21 firms sent recruiters to campus. By the time she retired, over 600 firms were scheduling interviews with Duke students.

Ms. Mitchell was the first woman to serve as president of the Southern Association of School and College Placement and the first college placement officer to be president of the College Placement Council. Ms. Mitchell also served as a director for College Placement Services, an organization focused on upgrading placement programs for African-Americans; president of both the Durham and Leakesville Business and Professional Women’s Clubs; and district chairman of the State Business and Professional Women’s Club Federation. Fannie Mitchell retired from Duke after 27 years of service in 1968. She died in 1989.

The Fannie Mitchell Career Development Directorship and The Fannie Mitchell Conference on Career Choices were established by Ruth W. Williams (Women’s College 1963) and A. Morris Williams, Jr. (Trinity 1962, Graduate School 1963, Trustee) in recognition of Ms. Mitchell’s long and distinguished directorship of University Placement Services.