American Association of University Women. Maryland State Division

The Maryland Division of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) was founded in 1942 to unite the five local branches of the organization which already existed in Maryland.

The Maryland Division's objectives include assisting in the formation of new branches of the AAUW within the state, providing backing for the programs of individual Maryland chapters, and sponsoring projects and programs in such areas as women's issues, community, education, legislative concerns, and international relations.

Founded in Boston in 1882 by sixty-five female college graduates, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is the oldest and largest national organization of women in the United States. Originally formed to encourage and improve education for women, the AAUW soon broadened its purpose and activities. While advocacy for women and women's educational opportunities have remained basic elements of the AAUW program, international relations, cultural interests, and the quality of community life have become long-standing commitments as well. Currently, the AAUW offers college-educated women conferences and seminars on such subjects as the United Nations and the American family, fellowships for doctoral or postdoctoral work, grants for members to return to school after a five-year absence, a coalition of woman-power influencing local, state, and national legislation, and several publications. The AAUW and the AAUW Educational Foundation are headquartered in Washington, D.C.; this building also houses a comprehensive library and archival collection on women.

The AAUW counts members in over 1900 communities and fifty-three countries around the world. Most women affiliate with a local branch. AAUW members are also members of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), which the association helped to found in 1919 to unite women worldwide in working toward common goals and international understanding.

Sixty years after the founding of the AAUW, the Maryland State Division was organized. Enthusiasm for uniting the five existing Maryland branches in a state division stemmed from the South Atlantic Regional Conference, held in Baltimore, April 24-25, 1942. Dr. Elizabeth Fuller Jackson, Vice President from the South Atlantic Region, was asked by the delegates from the Baltimore City, College Park, Carroll County and Frederick County branches to explain the steps by which a state division could be organized. This handful of delegates then volunteered to lead in the founding of the new division.

There were two primary motivating factors behind the desire to create a Maryland State Division. First, Maryland was the only South Atlantic state without a state organization and one of only six states in the entire country without one. Secondly, it appeared likely that the upcoming 1942 national convention would be canceled, in which case national questions would be referred to the state groups for decisions. Maryland, without a state organization, would not have a vote.

With these factors in mind, the Maryland State Division was officially launched on November 18, 1942 when delegates from four Maryland branches met and adopted Bylaws, appointed committee chairmen, and elected Mrs. J.D. Duve of the Frederick branch the first Maryland State Division president. The initial membership of the Division was 471 individual members.

The current objectives of the Maryland Division of the AAUW are to assist in the formation of new branches in the state, to give and receive suggestions from other state branches, and provide backing for programs of individual Maryland chapters.

The division also actively sponsors a variety of programs and projects in such areas as community, education, cultural interests, international relations, women's issues, and legislative concerns.