AAUW Educational Foundation

Educational Foundation VP: Lyn Burkett

Updated: November 16, 2007

The AAUW Educational Foundation provides funds to advance education, research, and self-development for women and to foster equity and positive societal change.

The AAUW Educational Foundation is among the largest sources of non-institutional funding of education for women, and commissions significant research on educational equity:

All Published EF Research Reports

2007-08 Online Directory of Fellowship and Grant Recipients

The 2007-08 Online Directory of Fellowship and Grant Recipients is now available on the AAUW website! The Directory highlights the recipients of the Foundation's five fellowship and grant programs--253 individuals who will receive $4.1 million in funding during the current academic year. View the outstanding women pursuing their educational goals, engaged in cutting-edge research and implementing community projects to strengthen opportunities for women and girls.

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Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus

Nearly Two-Thirds of College Students Say They Have Been Sexually Harassed, According to the Most Comprehensive National Research to Date

A report released by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation (AAUW Educational Foundation) suggests that sexual harassment pervades campus life. According to Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus, a majority of U.S. college students encounter some type of sexual harassment and about one-third say that they have been physically harassed while at college.

Both male and female students encounter sexual harassment, but female students who have been sexually harassed are more likely to say they feel self-conscious or embarrassed, angry, less sure of themselves or less confident, afraid or scared, confused or conflicted about who they are and disappointed in their college experience as a result of sexual harassment. This report analyzes findings from a nationally representative survey of undergraduate students and is the most comprehensive research to date on sexual harassment on college campuses.

“This groundbreaking new report is the first step in truly understanding what happens on college campuses and how to best create ‘harassment-free’ schools,” said Barbara O’Connor, AAUW Educational Foundation president. “Because our research shows that sexual harassment takes an especially heavy toll on young women, we are concerned that sexual harassment may make it harder for them to get the education they need to take care of themselves and their families in the future.”

The American Association of University Women plans to follow up this research by helping colleges and universities forge solutions. AAUW is funding programs on eleven campuses aimed at finding new ways to combat campus sexual harassment. These projects were selected to help students, faculty, and administrators understand the scope of the problem, raise awareness of the issue, and implement projects that affect change in the campus climate.

“A campus environment that permits inappropriate verbal and physical contact undermines the emotional, intellectual, and professional growth of millions of young adults,” said Ruth Sweetser, president, American Association of University Women, “In such a setting young men and women fail to learn appropriate behaviors essential for success later in life. We need to support efforts that help them determine where, and how, to draw the line on sexual harassment.”

Programs were announced at Alfred University, Alfred, NY; Chemeketa Community College, Salem, OR; Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA; Indiana University, Bloomington, IN; Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA; Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MS; Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA; Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY; University of Akron, Akron, OH; University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL; and the University of North Texas, Denton, TX. These campuses were selected for their demonstrated efforts to proactively address campus sexual harassment, and for their commitment to doing even more to create the best possible learning environment for their students.

OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH FINDINGS:

Sexual harassment is widespread on college campuses: Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of undergraduate students say they have encountered some type of sexual harassment and nearly one-third of students (35 percent of female students and 29 percent of male students) say the harassment is physical, such as being touched, grabbed, or pinched in a sexual way.

Sexual harassment takes an especially heavy toll on female students: More than two-thirds (68 percent) of female students who experience sexual harassment feel very or somewhat upset as a result. Conversely, only one-third (35 percent) of male students admit to being very or somewhat upset. Among female students who encountered sexual harassment, one-third (32 percent) said they felt afraid and about one-fifth (18 percent) said that they felt disappointed in their college experience as a result of sexual harassment.

Most harassers think sexual harassment is funny. Half of male students (51 percent) and almost one-third of female students (31 percent) admit to harassing someone in college. A majority of students (59 percent) who admit to harassing another student say they did so because they thought it was funny, as opposed to nearly one-third (32 percent) who thought the person liked it, and less than one-fifth (17 percent) who wanted a date with the person.

Students rarely report sexual harassment to a college employee, yet many would like a way to report incidents: Only 7 percent of students say they reported sexual harassment to a faculty member or other college employee. More than half of students (57 percent) would like their college or university to offer a confidential, web-based method for submitting complaints about sexual harassment. Nearly half (47 percent) would like their college or university to designate an office or person to contact about sexual harassment.

Go to AAUW.org for additional information on Drawing the Line: Sexual Harassment on Campus, including a PDF copy of the report.

The AAUW Educational Foundation is a leader in research on the educational and economic status of women and girls. Its research on gender equity issues raises public awareness and provides a call to action for educational institutions, policy-makers, legislators, and the public. The Educational Foundation is also one of the world’s largest sources of funding exclusively for graduate women.

- From an AAUW Press Release, January 24, 2006

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Educational Foundation Update

During March 2005, the Educational Foundation convened selection panels to review more than 2,200 eligible applicants for the 2005-06 fellowships and grants. The panels consisted of more than 50 scholars, educators, and community leaders from across the United States. The recommendations were approved by the Educational Foundation board on April 15, 2005.

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New AAUW research on women’s education and earnings

The AAUW Educational Foundation launched their newest research project, "Gains in Learning, Gaps in Earnings," detailing the successes and challenges that women face in both education and in the workforce.

An online resource, the report reveals a persistent and significant gender earnings gap nationwide and in every state between college educated women and men. In addition to providing a state-by-state data map on educational attainment and the gender earnings gap, it also includes suggestions on how to talk about the issues in your community, with legislators, and with the media, featuring an online press kit and links to other research, resources, and policy initiatives

- from AAUW's Action Alert, January 2005.
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Directory of Fellowship and Grant Recipients Online

The AAUW Educational Foundation has released the Directory of Fellowship and Grant Recipients online. The 2004-05 online directory is a searchable database which offers a wealth of information on AAUW Educational Foundation fellows, grant recipients and sponsors. The American Association of University Women has helped nearly 8,500 women from 123 countries pursue their dream of obtaining a graduate degree or making an impact in their community.

AAUW publishes Tenure Denied: Cases of Sex Discrimination in Academia

AAUW Educational Foundation and AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund jointly researched and published Tenure Denied, which details the stories of women who took their fight for tenure to the courts and provides a personal look into the toll it takes on these women's lives and careers.

Despite remarkable strides in closing the gender gap, women continue to face sex discrimination when seeking tenure and face an uphill battle by taking on the Ivory Tower of academia, according to a new report released Oct. 19 by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation and the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund. Tenure Denied: Cases of Sex Discrimination in Academia, details the stories of women who took their fight for tenure to the courts and provides a personal look into the toll it takes on these women's lives and careers.

Research shows that in an academic setting, compared to men, on average, women earn less, hold lower-ranking positions, and are less likely to have tenure. Of the faculty at colleges and universities offering four-year degrees, only 27 percent of those awarded tenure are women. A lack of transparency, unclear standards, and biased behavior and decision-making in the tenure process contribute to this problem.

Tenure Denied: Cases of Sex Discrimination in Academia (2004) is a qualitative research report based on the Legal Advocacy Fund's archive of sex discrimination cases. Drawing on 19 cases, the report describes the difficulty of pinpointing and proving sex discrimination in the tenure promotion process. The report makes no attempt to second-guess the courts' decisions in these cases but rather poses some hard questions raised by these cases: How can women-and other underrepresented faculty-break into highly centralized power systems where standards are self-referential and tightly controlled by a conventional "old boys'" network? What can universities learn about their systems and practices of hiring and promotion? And what is the message for policy-makers considering new programs to end sex discrimination in academia and other places of employment?

The final chapter presents recommendations for universities and female faculty, with the overarching aim of preventing the need for sex discrimination suits in the first place.

For more than a century, the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation has been a catalyst for women's advancement. In 1888 the founders of AAUW awarded $350, the organization's first fellowship, to a graduate woman scholar. More than a century later, the Foundation awarded nearly $3.4 million for the 2003-04 academic year to help almost 200 extraordinary women accomplish their personal and professional goals.

From Lab to Life

AAUW Community Action Grant

St. Lawrence County, NYS

From Lab to Life was a Community Action project to encourage St. Lawrence County (NYS) girls to study science during 1998/99 school year. It made 5th to 7th grade girls aware of some interesting and exciting job opportunities for women with science degrees. The hands-on activities gave the girls confidence in their own abilities and talents to succeed in science classes. It also provided local role models and interaction with other women and girls interested in science.

The project coordinator, Pat Burdick, in her work as the Education consultant at the St. Lawrence Aquarium and Ecological Center and at the Indian Creek Nature Center, often hears the misperceptions that “scientist” means a man in a lab coat. Building on AAUW’s focus to encourage girls to do well in science, mathematics, and computer technology, this project connected young girls with women scientist role models at a critical point in their educational development.

Sixty girls from three rural St. Lawrence County school districts met once a week for 15 weeks to work with women scientists who use their science degree in different fields. At the first meeting in each of four blocks, a guest woman scientist spoke and answered questions about her career and why she chose to study science. At the next two sessions the girls did hands-on activities similar to those the scientist mentor does in her work. The last two sessions in the project featured a final speaker and the project evaluation and graduation.

The four women mentors included a field biologist, a research biologist, a professional artist who emphasizes the plants and animals of the North Country in her work, and an Adirondack folksinger who incorporates many animal and ecology themes in her music. The girls had an opportunity to conduct field studies at the Indian Creek Nature Center, work in a biology and a computer lab, illustrate their own nature journals, and write a song in a computer lab.

Several members of the St. Lawrence County Branch, AAUW assisted with this program as mentoring women scientists. In addition, the branch provided information, encouragement, and practical help during the grant-writing process with two branch-sponsored workshops. The first, “How to Write a Grant Proposal” in 1996, and the second, “Hands On Some AAUW Grants” in 1997, provided information about AAUW’s Community Action Grants, as well as the technical expertise to turn the From Lab to Life proposal into an award-winning CAG.

Branch EF Fund Raisers:

Recipe Cards - the branch currently has six sets of recipe cards for sale for $2 per set to benefit our local EF fund. Each set sells for $2 each (plus shipping and handling) or you can order all six for $10. You can preview the recipes contained in each set of cards.

St. Lawrence County Branch Home - Site Map