Organizational History
The American Association of University Women is a nationwide network founded in 1881 as the Association of Collegiate Alumnae by Ellen H. Richards and Marion Talbot to promote gender equity for women through programs of advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. In 1921, the Southern Association of College Women merged with the Association of Collegiate Alumnae to form the American Association of University Women. Under its leadership the association has formed a wide range of committees throughout the years to promote its mission including the Educational Foundation, established in 1958, to provide a source of funding exclusively for graduate women, and in 1981 the Legal Advisory Fund, a legal defense fund focused on sex discrimination against women in higher education.