Doris McLallen
NYS College/University Director

Welcome branch members!

Your help in welcoming student affiliates and educational institutions is vital. Nearly all community colleges, four-year colleges and universities value strong community ties and AAUW both receives and gives value to the institutions it links with. With the support and approval of your branch, here are some actions you can take:

First, some simple research: check your branch membership rolls for academic women. Ask them about their campus and its openness to AAUW, and who they would recommend you contact. Will they go with you?

• Check out the local college’s web-site. Check especially the Dean of Women, the Women’s Studies Departments or courses that not only appeal to women but relate to AAUW’s program. There is a list of some women’s studies departments if you click here.
• Check with your branch as to how they will consider working with the college. Preferably take the president with you when you visit.

Second, talking points: What do we have to offer the college? Make a list.

• Resources include www.aauw.org. Check out Campus Connections especially the right side of the page and go to Member Center, then Member Resources and scan wa-ay down the page to the section on colleges and universities. These include the ways your branch can work or is working the college. Would it be willing to sponsor a student to NCCWSL (the National College Conference of Women Student Leaders) which AAUW holds? Do a transitions conference? A STEM career day? Educate students about sexual harassment? A program on pay equity or financial literacy? Sister to Sister?
• Be prepared to note that each branch/C/U relationship is unique, and it takes time to find the best fit.
• List the other benefits to the college of joining such as promoting and advocating for shared values, strengthening relations between college and community, the more than $4 million dollars in grants to women scholars doing advanced work plus priority access to consideration for those and grants including campus action projects, promoting a fair work place for all women, priority access to information, campus action projects which join AAUW research with campus outreach, electronic notification of information on women’s issues, grants and NCCWSL for all women students, a free electronic membership for women students, a staff member’s membership in AAUW (national), increased visibility for the institution and leadership development resources.
• Be familiar with our research studies. AAUW action programs are based on the results of our research studies. This is, to my knowledge, unique.

Last, screw up your courage and make a contact. Take your talking points, your campus contact, if you have one, and your branch president with you and visit the campus. Don’t forget the “ask.” Directly ask them to join. Be prepared to tell them how to do that. If the response is vague, ask how such decisions are made, who else you should see and when in the year such decisions are made... Be sure to take an invoice form to leave with them which you can download and print here. We also have a model letter which you can download and modify here.

Please write a note thanking your college contact for his or her time regardless of the outcome of the visit.

A follow-up call to ask for the outcome of the decision (or better—where the decision is in the process) is perfectly appropriate if you did not get a firm answer.

Finally don’t forget the visibility link on our web-site which has some excellent marketing materials for colleges.

And please keep me informed of what you have done. First, I need to know what you are doing so that we don’t cross our wires. Secondly, we can use each other for sounding boards. Finally, if appropriate, I would like to help.