In 1909, eleven women of the Missoula area founded the first Montana branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. The Association of Collegiate Alumnae existed independently until 1921, at which time it merged with the South Association of College Women to form the American Association of University Women (AAUW). With service and scholarship as the foundation of its agenda, the AAUW has been an active women's club for over one hundred years. The AAUW is committed to fostering the development and maintenance of educational opportunities for women and children. It works to broaden leadership opportunities for women and promote academic endeavors. The organization divides its interests into six major categories: education, fellowship, economic and legal status of women, international relations, social studies and the arts.
The Missoula AAUW branch has included in its membership female graduates from such colleges and universities as Stanford, Wellesley, Mount Holyoke and Oberlin. It highlights women connected with the University of Montana staff and faculty, such as Mrs. K.W. Jameson, Ph.D. holder and Dean of Women for the University of Montana in 1918, and Mrs. C.V. Duniway, former Missoula branch president and wife of Clyde Duniway, UM's president from 1908-1912. Prominent Missoula Branch members include Montana representative Jeannette Rankin, as well as many of Missoula's first female newspaper reporters. The branch was an active part of Missoula's academic and community life. The club worked to advance the Missoula public school system and supported legislation to increase funding for Missoula libraries and later Missoula's Gifted and Talented program. The fellowship program has provided many scholarships for both local and foreign women to attend the University of Montana. Missoula's AAUW has also participated in such national events as the 1931 Montana-White House Conference on Child Health and Protection and the 1975 Third Public Affairs Forum. AAUW continues to exist on a local level, statewide, nationally and internationally.
From the guide to the American Association of University Women. Missoula Branch Records, 1903-2005, (Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)
