Pulling Together Toward 50

Women's Athletics Endowment Challenge graphic

Dickinson Launches Women’s Athletics Fundraising Campaign to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Title IX

Dickinson is bringing together alumni, parents and friends of the college this June to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX and provide vital support for current and future Red Devil women through the Women’s Athletics Endowment. The fund was endowed with a generous $50,000 gift from Robin Rains and Jane Dietze P’24 to ensure that women’s sports continue to thrive at Dickinson. Inspired by this gift, Julie ’96 and Kevin McAllister '98 recently created the Women’s Athletics Endowment Challenge to unite like-minded alumni and parents behind this effort. Through the challenge, the McAllisters will provide an additional $10,000 in permanent funding for women’s sports at the college for every 50 gifts to the endowment before the 50th anniversary of Title IX on June 23, 2022 (up to an additional $50,000).

“This fund and this challenge will help us provide an exceptional experience for our female student-athletes,” says Kim Masimore, senior woman administrator and head women's lacrosse coach, noting that the endowment supports facilities, training, coaching, team-building trips, and many more aspects of the female student-athlete experience at Dickinson. “I know I speak for all of the coaches and players when I say we’re excited to see how our community can come together and make this fund grow so that we can ensure that all of our women’s teams reach their full potential.”

Enacted in 1972, Title IX outlawed gender-based discrimination in all educational programs that receive any federal funding. The legislation spurred investment in women's athletics programs at the high-school and college level, and the decades since have seen tremendous growth in women’s sports throughout the country.

However, as Rains and Dietze acknowledged when they established the fund, there is still work to be done. In addition to supporting current and future students, they see the fund as a way to foster the ideals of gender equality and fairness that powered the passage of Title IX 50 years ago—ideals toward which female athletes continue to strive.

“We are believers in equality,” says Rains. “We are believers in girls and young women having equal access to the empowering and strengthening act of participating in sports.”

That idea resonated with the McAllisters, who joined in with a challenge gift they now hope will inspire many others to join the effort. “Playing on the field hockey and lacrosse teams was a huge part my Dickinson experience, and it shaped me as a person,” says Julie. “Now I enjoy seeing the positive impact that sports are having on my four daughters, all of whom are athletes. Our family strongly believes in the value of athletics for young women, and we want to make sure that the college has the resources to provide the best experiences for these scholar-athletes.”

Learn more about the Women’s Athletics Endowment Challenge.

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Published June 6, 2022