AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is an education organization open to women who hold baccalaureate or higher degrees from a college or university on the AAUW list of qualified institutions or from foreign institutions recognized by the International Federation of University Women. In keeping with its purpose of practical educational work, the association develops programs that enable college women to continue their intellectual growth and to further the advancement of women in universities and colleges around the world. The AAUW also supports gender-discrimination lawsuits and works to promote legislation concerning issues of importance to women, such as equity in education, family and medical leave, child day care for working parents, reproductive rights, equal pay for equal work, affirmative action, and access to adequate health care.

Program

For more than a century the AAUW has endeavored to improve the quality and effectiveness of education for women and girls at all levels. AAUW branches across America work to discourage discrimination and promote gender-fair practices in the classroom. Members develop mentoring programs and encourage girls and women to study mathematics, science, and technology. Its members also initiate community-action projects and lobby local, state, and national legislators on women's issues. Analyzing their individual community needs, local branch members throughout the country have launched a variety of volunteer service projects embracing such activities as career guidance and scholastic counseling; working for school bond issues; cooperating with Head Start officials; and publishing valuable education information, such as lists of preschools and local compilations of scholarships and loans for prospective college students. Continuing interests of AAUW branches include mental health, aging, family-life studies, and the American judicial system. The AAUW also supports the United Nations, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Basic to the AAUW's educational activities has been a drive for adequate financing and staffing of public schools by federal, state, and local governments. A standing committee on legislation assists branches in following the progress of pertinent bills at all levels, with emphasis on aid to education, foreign assistance, international cooperation and trade agreements, assistance for the disadvantaged, consumer education, urban problems, and protection of the physical environment.

In 1958 the AAUW established the AAUW Educational Foundation, which awards nearly $3.5 million annually in fellowships and grants, making it the world's largest source of funding exclusively for women scholars. Over 7,800 awards have been made to women in 120 countries since the AAUW was founded. Notable AAUW awardees have included Marie Curie, Barbara McClintock, and Judith Resnik. Between 2001 and 2002 a total of 287 women received funding from the AAUW Education Foundation. The Education Foundation also supports numerous community-action projects and symposia, round tables, and forums that promote education and equity for women and girls.

The Education Foundation fellowship and grant programs include American Fellowships of up to $30,000 for doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers; Career Development Grants of up to $8,000 for college graduates who wish to advance their careers; Community Action Grants of up to $7,000 for individual or organizational research programs that promote education and equity for women; Eleanor Roosevelt Teacher Fellowships of up to $5,000 for women teachers in public schools; and International Fellowships of up to $30,000 to help women who are not U.S. citizens pursue university-level research. AAUW's Selected Professions Fellowships offer up to $20,000 to U.S. citizens who follow certain designated degree programs where women have traditionally been underrepresented, particularly architecture, computer sciences, engineering, and mathematics. In 1969 the foundation established the Coretta Scott King Fund, which gives educational grants to talented but economically disadvantaged African-American women studying in specific fields. The Education Foundation also makes one annual University Scholar-in-Residence Award of up to $50,000 to support a woman scholar doing research on gender-equity issues.

In addition, the Education Foundation makes three annual national awards to recognize outstanding achievement by women scholars; these are the AAUW Recognition Award for Emerging Scholars, the Founders Distinguished Senior Scholar Award, and the Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy. The Eleanor Roosevelt Fund Award, presented biennially, honors an individual or institution for outstanding contributions to women's equity and education.

In 1981 the AAUW established the Legal Advocacy Fund to help women students and educators fight sex discrimination at colleges and universities. The fund accomplishes this goal through campus education and outreach programs, which draw attention to the problem of gender inequity at educational institutions. The fund also provides financial support for sex discrimination lawsuits and enlists volunteer attorneys and social scientists to serve as legal consultants. The Legal Advocacy Fund makes an annual $10,000 Progress in Equity Award to recognize efforts to improve the climate for women on campus. Publications from the AAUW national office include Action Alert –a monthly public policy newsletter, Outlook –a magazine with articles discussing women's rights issues and describing leaders in the movement for women's rights, such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Shirley Chisholm, and Donna Shalala; and Get the Facts –e-mail and fax alerts that provide members with information about important legislation and congressional proposals that affect women and families. The AAUW also publishes numerous bibliographies, study guides, and legislative guides.

Organizational Structure, Membership, and Funding

The AAUW is made up of three units: the association, a 150,000-member organization with more than 1,500 branches in fifty states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico; the Education Foundation, which funds community action projects and offers fellowships and grants to outstanding women scholars; and the Legal Advocacy Fund, which supports women seeking judicial redress for sex discrimination at colleges and universities.

National AAUW officers are women distinguished in academic and civic life. The principal officers are elected at biennial conventions and serve four-year terms. The organization is composed of members-at-large and branch members, the branch being the basic unit through which the association functions in a community to promote its purposes and policies. All branches are members of their respective state divisions, which are organized into ten geographical regions. Each region has a vice president who is on the national board of directors.

All AAUW members are automatically affiliated with the International Federation of University Women, which unites the association in various countries. Dues are the main source of funds. The fellowships program is voluntarily supported by contributions from AAUW members, fund-raising projects in branch associations, bequests, and corporate and institutional sponsors. Endowment funds are used for fellowships, research, and publications.

History and Development

The forerunner of the AAUW was the Association of Collegiate Alumnae, organized by 65 young women graduates in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1882. It was joined by the Western Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA) in 1889. In 1921 the ACA and the Southern Association of College Women combined to form the American Association of University Women.

bibliography

American Association of University Women. 1998. Gender Gaps: Where Schools Still Fail Our Children. Washington, DC: American Association of University Women.

American Association of University Women. 1999. Gaining a Foothold: Women's Transitions through Work and College. Washington, DC: American Association of University Women.

Levine, Susan. 1995. Degrees of Equality: The American Association of University Women and the Challenge of Twentieth-Century Feminism. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

internet resource

American Association of University Women. 2002. < www.aauw.org>.

Betty Williams

Revised by

Judith J. Culligan

American Association of University Women

American Association of University Women American Fellowships (All/Fellowship)
American Association of University Women Career Development Grants (Postdoctorate/Grant)
American Association of University Women Engineering Dissertation Awards (Professional Development/Award/Prize)
American Association of University Women International Fellowships (All/Fellowship)
American Association of University Women Master's and First Professional Awards (Professional Development/Award/Prize)

1111 6th St. NW
Washington, DC 20036
Ph: (202)785-7700
Fax: (202)872-1425
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:http://www.aauw.org

American Association of University Women American Fellowships (All/Fellowship)

Purpose: To support female doctoral candidates and scholars completing dissertations and seeking funds for postdoctoral research leave from accredited institutions. Focus: Women's studies. Qualif.: Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Criteria: Candidates are evaluated on the basis of scholarly excellence, teaching experience, and active commitment to helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions, or fields of research.

Funds Avail.: $6,000 up to $30,000. To Apply: Applicants must check online for further information about the award. Deadline: November 30.

American Association of University Women Career Development Grants (Postdoctorate/Grant)

Purpose: To support women who hold bachelor's degree preparing to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the work force. Focus: Women's studies. Qualif.: Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Criteria: Applicants must be AAUW members, women of color, and women pursuing their first advanced degree or credentials in non-traditional fields.

Funds Avail.: $2,000 up to $12,000. To Apply: Applicant must check online for further information about the award. Deadline: December 15.

American Association of University Women Engineering Dissertation Awards (Professional Development/Award/Prize)

Purpose: To support women intending to pursue a full-time course of study at an accredited institution. Focus: Women's studies. Qualif.: Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Criteria: Selection of candidates based upon the following programs: Architecture (M.Arch, M.S.Arch), Computer/Information Sciences (M.S.), Engineering (M.E., M.S., Ph.D.), Engineering Dissertation Award also awarded Mathematics/Statistics (M.S.), and fellowships in the following degree programs are restricted to women of color, who have been underrepresented in these fields: Business Administration (M.B.A., E.M.B.A.), Law (J.D.), Medicine (M.D., D.O.).

Funds Avail.: $20,000. To Apply: Applicant must check online for further information about the award. Deadline: January 10.

American Association of University Women International Fellowships (All/Fellowship)

Purpose: To provide fund for full-time study or research in the United States to women who are not United States citizens or permanent residents. Focus: General studies. Qualif.: Applicant must be a citizen in a country other than the United States, or must hold a nonimmigrant visa if residing in the United States. Criteria: Candidates are selected based on academic and professional qualifications, need for the specialized knowledge and skills of the country where she came from, commitment to the advancement of women and girls in her home country as demonstrated by her previous work and proposed study or research, documented evidence prior to her community service in the home country particularly activities concerning women and girls lives' improvement.

Funds Avail.: $18,000 up to $30,000. To Apply: Applicant must check online for further information about the award. Deadline: December 1.

American Association of University Women Master's and First Professional Awards (Professional Development/Award/Prize)

Purpose: To financially support women intending to pursue a full-time course of study at accredited institutions. Focus: Women's studies. Qualif.: Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Criteria: Selected Professions Fellowships are awarded for the following programs: Architecture (M.Arch, M.S.Arch), Computer/Information Sciences (M.S.), Engineering (M.E., M.S., Ph.D.), Engineering Dissertation Award also awarded Mathematics/Statistics (M.S.), and fellowships in the following degree programs are restricted to women of color, who have been underrep-resented in these fields: Business Administration (M.B.A., E.M.B.A.), Law (J.D.), Medicine (M.D., D.O.).

Funds Avail.: $5,000 up $12,000. To Apply: Applicant must check online for further information about the award. Deadline: January 10.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN, a national nonprofit organization that promotes education and equality for women. The organization is divided into three components: the Association, the Educational Foundation, and the Legal Advocacy Fund. With 150,000 members at more than 1,500 branches across the country, the Association has long been a powerful lobbying voice on such issues as education, social security, sex discrimination, reproductive rights, affirmative action, pay equity, and health-care reform. The Educational Foundation funds community action projects, grants, and fellowships for exceptional women scholars and scientists and research into girls and education. The Legal Advocacy Fund provides economic support and advice for women involved in lawsuits regarding sex discrimination in higher education.

The American Association of University Women grew out of the 1921 merger of two preexisting organizations, the Association of Collegiate Alumnae and the Southern Association of College Women. The former was founded in 1882 to augment opportunities for women in the workplace and in higher education. In 1885 they published their first research report debunking the popular myth that higher education impairs the health of women. In 1919 they helped form the International Federation of University Women, with organizations from Canada and Britain.

After the formation of the American Association of University Women, they set up their offices in Washington, D.C., ushering in a new era of political influence and activity. One of their earlier initiatives was to promote the appointment of women to foreign service. In the 1930s they strongly supported the right of doctors to provide information on contraceptives. In 1938 they published "The Living Wage for College Women," documenting sex discrimination in higher education.

The organization supported the formation of the United Nations and was accorded permanent observer status in 1946. In 1948 they strongly backed the Marshall Plan for economic redevelopment in Europe and as a result were awarded the Federal Republic of Germany's Order of Merit in 1953. The Association supported the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Solomon, Barbara Miller. In the Company of Educated Women: A History of Women and Higher Education in America. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1985.

Eli MosesDiner