Ann Ferguson  Ann Ferguson (born 6 March 1938), is an American philosopher, and Professor Emerita of Philosophy and Women's Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She served as Amherst's director of women's studies from 1995 to 2001. She is known for her work on feminist theory. After earning her PhD from Brown University, Ferguson joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a lecturer. In 1967, Ferguson began to help her students access then-illegal abortions. By 1995, she was appointed Director of Women's Studies for a three-year term. She established the Ann Ferguson Women and Gender Studies Scholarship in 2007 before retiring.