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Inclusion-TitleIX50

The NCAA membership and national office will be honoring the 50th anniversary of this historic law throughout 2022 and into 2023. Use the recommendations in the Title IX 50th Anniversary Membership Tool Kit (PDF) to get your celebration started and to find more opportunities to engage throughout the year.

Need the NCAA's Title IX 50th Anniversary logo? Click here and search for Title IX.

We want to hear about you promoting Title IX at 50. E-mail the Office of Inclusion and tell us all about it!

Below are some great examples of how the membership is celebrating Title IX at 50. 

Title IX at 50: Patriot League

Patriot League | Trailblazers of Distinction

The Patriot League in conjunction with its 10 full-member institutions is promoting its Trailblazers of Distinction to recognize the accomplishments of some of their most impactful women leaders during the Title IX era.   The League worked closely with staff from each of its institutions to identify and honor individual women and memorable teams for contributions to their respective athletics departments, campuses and society at large. The Trailblazers of Distinction were selected in concurrence with the Patriot League’s yearlong celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX.

Title IX at 50: MVC_Charlotte West

In recognition of Title IX's 50th anniversary, the Missouri Valley Conference has been celebrating its pioneers and leaders on a variety of different platforms this year.

The league has designed school-specific Title IX at 50 logos, conducted a podcast with representatives from its membership, posted weekly highlights of its trailblazers, including longtime MVC staffer Patty Viverito, and composed monthly feature stories.  Among those features, Dr. Charlotte West (pictured) was profiled for her 42-year career with Southern Illinois University athletics.

Of note, the NCAA has a meeting room at its national headquarters in Indianapolis named after West, who served as president of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and one of the first female members of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. She also was the first recipient of the Honda Award, a national honor given for outstanding achievement in women’s collegiate athletics.

 

Mountain West Conference | #MakingHerMark Trailblazers Spotlight Series

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, the Mountain West is continuing its #MakingHerMark initiative with a Trailblazers Spotlight Series produced by the Mountain West Network. Former Wyoming soccer player Amanda Vandervort is the first MW Trailblazer to be featured. The 50th Anniversary of Title IX Trailblazers Spotlight Series will be released during all women’s championships during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Title IX at 50: UC Davis

UC Davis | 50 Years of Title IX

UC Davis has designed an informative website to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which includes roundtable discussions with senior woman administrators along with conversations focused on women's basketball, the media and Title IX, and the addition of beach volleyball and equestrian on campus.

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Big XII Conference | 50 Years Forward

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the Big 12 Conference announced 50 Years Forward, a campaign that highlights women’s athletics pioneers and achievements from its member institutions.  Social media posts, in-venue recognitions at Big 12 Championships, and video vignettes will be used to honor the opportunities and accomplishments the landmark legislation has provided over the last 50 years, while casting an eye toward the next 50.

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The ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 Alliance | “Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX TogetHER”

The ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 Alliance announced plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX through a multi-pronged campaign entitled “Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX TogetHER.”

The announcement and campaign logo unveiling coincided with National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a national event that inspires girls and women to realize their full power through participation in sports.

Arizona's history of producing versatile, prosperous student-athletes is recognized on a national level. Arizona has produced four NCAA Women of the Year, honoring the woman in the NCAA that displays excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership -- Tanya Hughes, Track and Field, 1994; Whitney Meyers, Swimming and Diving, 2007; Lacey Nymeyer, Swimming and Diving, 2009; Justine Schluntz, Swimming and Diving, 2010. In the award's 30-year history, Arizona is tied with Georgia for the most award winners in the country as well as being the only school in the Pac-12 to have a winner of this prestigious award.

Dr. Karol Kahrs is credited with leading Illinois's efforts to incorporate women's athletics into the varsity sports program. Kahrs was instrumental in leading the way for women's sports to be integrated into the Big Ten Conference for the 1981-82 school year.  A special Title IX logo was created to accompany all of Illinois's events and celebrations. The logo incorporates a subtle back-to-back KK as the X to recognize the significance made by trailblazer Dr. Kahrs on the UI campus.

Just prior to the 40th anniversary of Title IX, in 2011, Oregon retroactively awarded 249 varsity letters to women who competed for the Ducks in the decades prior to Title IX's implementation. The commitment to expanded opportunities for female athletics has included the addition of lacrosse, acrobatics and tumbling and beach volleyball programs in recent years, and the launch of Women in Flight in 2014 has provided a vehicle for supporting Oregon's 11 women's sports programs.

The new "Go Do Anything" campaign already has generated about $4.5 million in support for those programs, toward a goal of $9 million. The yearlong campaign through the end of 2022 will work to complete progress toward that goal.

Women of Westwood aims to honor 50 years of comprehensive excellence from UCLA female student-athletes and coaches since the creation of Title IX in 1972, as well as inspire philanthropy to enhance the educational and athletic-related resources UCLA provides to help shape the next generation of female leaders.

Washington State is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX with the Power of IX campaign, which encompasses several events throughout the year. Among the numerous events, the establishment of a Power of IX Excellence Fund will provide necessary resources for the nine women's teams at WSU and create a pipeline of support for future generations of female student-athletes.

Wisconsin has launched a year-long celebration to honor and elevate the contributions and accomplishments of Badger female student-athletes, alumni, coaches, and staff. With events and moments planned throughout the calendar year, Wisconsin Athletics will find unique ways to tell female stories, celebrate with the community and campus, and highlight past and present accomplishments of teams and individuals.  

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Mid-American Conference | MAC Honors

As part of its year-long commemoration, the Mid-American Conference will host its annual MAC Honors dinner that will recognize individuals from all 12 member institutions who were pioneers of Title IX in building female sport program opportunities. Each of those individuals will be named to the 2022 Hall of Fame class, which will be announced during the MAC Basketball Tournament (March 9-12).  The Conference will also introduce the Trailblazer Award, a new award that will be presented annually at the Honors Dinner. The Trailblazer Award will be given to an individual that has encouraged or supported equal opportunities and promoting the student-athlete experience through proven progressive change.

Throughout the year, Ball State's Title IX campaign will center around the three core pillars of recognition, education and engagement. Click here to share your stories, photos and memories to join the commemoration.

A committee of Kent State athletic and university administrators, faculty, alumni and student representation helped to draft a comprehensive plan for the year of celebration.  The three areas of focus include education, celebration and engagement. This will be accomplished with team specific activities, in-game acknowledgements, and social and digital media assets. In addition, Kent State will feature interviews with current and former student-athletes, coaches and staff. They will tell their stories and the impact that sport and Title IX has had on them and their lives and where they see the growth in women's athletics.

WMU Athletics will be sharing "What does Title IX Mean to You?" videos throughout the year, recorded by student-athletes, and will host "Real Talk" seminars discussing topics revolving around Title IX. This year's MAC Hall of Fame will also feature Title IX Trailblazers within the conference. Furthermore, the WMU Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony will be re-introduced this year, and will have a special focus on celebrating Title IX.

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As part of a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of passing of Title IX legislation, Illinois State has launched a Title IX inspired line of apparel.
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Southeastern Conference | “Creating Opportunities”

The Southeastern Conference's year-long celebration of the anniversary of Title IX has commenced.  Under the banner of "50th Anniversary of Title IX: Creating Opportunities," the SEC's celebration will include recognitions at Conference championship events, commemoration of achievements through online and social media channels, commemorative memorabilia and a collaboration with the SEC Network highlighting the advancement of women's sports.

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Vanderbilt is celebrating the Title IX anniversary with monthly themes on this dedicated page. The campaign has been championed by athletic director Candice Lee, who is the first woman, and first Black woman, athletic director in SEC history.
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UMass Lowell | First All-Female Hall of Fame Class

In the fall of 2021, UMass Lowell held a ceremony for the annual induction of former athletes, coaches, and other athletics personnel to be admitted to the River Hawk Hall of Fame.  2021 marked the first all-female Hall of Fame class in UMass Lowell's storied history. Among those honored were former basketball player Barbara Brennan, former softball player Amber Chouinard, and the entire 2010 National Championship Field Hockey Team.

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Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Virtual 5K & 50-mile Challenge

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is celebrating with a series of stories and milestones throughout the remainder of the calendar year.  This programming includes partnerships with the Women’s Sports Foundation and the YWCA, which has led to a virtual 5K and 50-mile challenge being conducted across the league.

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Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 50 Women Spotlight

Throughout the spring, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and its member institutions are happy to announce a 50th anniversary celebration of Title IX. Featuring stories on the PSAC Web site and through various forms of social media, the league will be spotlighting 50 women who helped shape the P-S-A-C and intercollegiate athletics. These efforts will continue through June 23rd, recognizing the anniversary date when Title IX was enacted.

TitleIX50_LaurenHaynie
There is certainly more visibility for girls and women in sports, but as a society, we can do so much more to showcase the strength and skill of everyone who participates in sports through representation and media attention. We also know that women will disproportionately take on caregiving roles, so the more we can support working parents and those who are caregivers to elderly parents, the more we can keep women in sports. Most importantly, intuitionally, we must commit financial and human resources to women’s sports. Additional people and facilities certainly make a good experience into a truly excellent and equitable one.
Lauren Haynie, Brandeis University Director of Athletics and University Athletic Association (UAA) Vice President for Equity and Inclusion

Sun Belt Conference | Digital Platforms

Throughout 2022, the Sun Belt Conference is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX across its digital platforms.  In addition to creating a 30-second PSA above, the league has also created custom logos for each school and highlighted membership profiles on its podcast, Around the Sun.  Among the pioneers and trailblazers of Sun Belt women’s athletics featured on the podcast is Kay Woodiel, who started the women's athletics program at Arkansas State and coached the volleyball, women's basketball and tennis teams.