Celebrate Duke Women's Athletics

Over the course of its 40-year history, Duke women's athletics has had many memorable highlights, including 12 Olympians, six team national championships and 52 team ACC championships.

Next week, Duke will recognize these accomplishments and more as part of this year's Duke Women's Weekend conference. "Winning Women: Advocates, Educators, Athletes" will gather alumnae, faculty, students and staff to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Duke Women's Athletics, the merging of the Woman's College with Trinity College and key milestones marking transitions for women in the life of the university.

The event runs Feb. 23 to 26, and Duke faculty and staff receive a discounted price of $25 to join the conference's speeches, networking sessions, tours and more. An optional add-on of $75 is available to join a gala celebration Feb. 25. Duke Athletics and the Duke Alumni Association are organizing the event.

"The program is a connection to our past, present and future and we'll focus on the challenges, achievements and climate for women at Duke today," said Beth Ray-Schroeder, director of alumni education and travel. "We hope the conference has an interest to folks in the Duke community because it has to do with central aspects of women's sports at Duke and how pivotal 1972 was for women's varsity athletics."

In addition to the merger of Duke's Women's College and Trinity College into the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences in 1972, the passage of Title IX pushed for the creation of women's varsity sports teams. At the same time, Duke became a charter member of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.

Guest speakers highlighting these milestones include Nan Keohane, Duke president emerita and Duke and Women's College graduates Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour, and Nancy Hogshead, an Olympic gold medalist and professor of law at Florida Coastal School of Law.

"Without Title IX, I wouldn't have received an athletic scholarship to Duke, and wouldn't have been in the 1984 Olympics," Hogshead said. "But not just women athletes benefitted - our economy has benefitted by having a better educated, more productive and healthier workforce."

More than 20 other speakers will take part in the event, from former women's basketball standouts Lindsey Harding and Abby Waner to President Richard H. Brodhead.

Ray-Schroeder noted that just because the conference is geared toward women, men are encouraged to join the festivities as well.

"I haven't met a man who doesn't have a mother or may have a daughter or wife and the developments we're celebrating are part of larger contributions to education and society," she said. "There's really something for everyone."

For a full schedule of events during "Winning Women," visit the conference website. Duke faculty and staff can receive their discounted sign-up price by registering online.