Serve
The Clemson Branch of the AAUW is unique to this collection in that it is the only group that was first a national organization. The local branch was founded in 1947, despite the fact that the college it was most closely associated with would not become coeducational for another eight years. The character of the national organization is one of advocacy for women, and the Clemson branch certainly reflected this. The branch was organized into several interest groups in which women would study and advocate for a particular issue, then bring their results back to the group as a whole. Some of these interest groups from as early as 1947 were: advancement for women, legislation, education, community issues, international relations, and culture.
That the AAUW was first a national organization dedicated to advocacy speaks to the work of the Clemson branch. For example, one of the issues pursued by the ‘legislation’ interest group was equal pay for equal work. That this was an issue of interest to women in Clemson, SC in 1947 is surprising enough in itself, but it also demonstrates how much more nationally focused the AAUW was compared to other groups.
Their work was not exclusively national, however. One of the big initiatives of the AAUW was speaking to eighth grade girls about the importance of continuing their education. The organization cared deeply about increasing graduation rates, especially for girls, and their work shows this commitment. The AAUW supported women and girls at all stages of their education, as evidenced by a scholarship for the highest achieving coed once Clemson was opened to women.
