Speeches

'EnTitled': Celebrating 30 Years of Title IX

Good evening and thank you once again for inviting me to this wonderful celebration of the accomplishments of both the commission and the women of Penn State.

I'd like to share with you a prediction that I recently came across in my reading. It's a prediction about women and education that was made almost 90 years ago by medical doctor and Berlin University Professor Hans Friedenthal. It seems that Dr. Friedenthal believed that "brain work would cause women to become bald, while increasing their masculinity and contempt for beauty..

It's safe to say that Dr. Friedenthal was a terrible prognosticator. The fact of the matter is that women have constituted the majority of college students nationally since 1979.

• In each year since 1982, more American women than men have received bachelor's degrees;
• 30 percent of women aged 25 to 34 now have four years of college education compared to just 18 percent in 1975; and
• Women today hold one-third of all faculty positions in American colleges and universities.

In addition, women make up the majority of graduate students, and more than half of all master's degrees are awarded to women. Women start businesses at a faster rate than men. Women vote more than men, volunteer more than men, and -- here's the crowning touch-- you live longer than men.

Genetics aside, the advancement of women in society over the last 30 years has been notable and ads up to a picture of success and achievement. I, like many others, believe that education has played a significant role in this progress and in our changing expectations of what women can achieve.

Higher education, in particular, has removed many barriers for women and opened the doors for opportunities that did not exist as recently as 15 years ago. That is why I am happy to help you celebrate this evening, under a theme that acknowledges the three successful decades of Title IX, the landmark civil rights legislation that has been a powerful force in effecting changes for women in education.

As part of the 1972 Education Amendments to the Civil Rights Act, Title IX prohibits gender discrimination in education at any level. Many of you have heard of Title IX discussed mostly as it relates to women in athletics. In fact, tonight's keynote speaker will touch on Title IX in this context and the display outside is focused on women's progress in athletics at Penn State. In addition, as many of you know, I recently served as part of the 15-member Commission on Opportunity in Athletics appointed to review Title IX's 30-year influence on gender equity in college athletics.

My service on that commission made me realize how important Title IX is to our country-- even after 30 years. There was great emotion surrounding the comments of the scores of concerned citizens who testified before the commission. I came away from that experience convinced that this was an extraordinarily valuable and historical piece of legislation that we must continue to support.

Much has been accomplished on the playing field, but much has also been accomplished in the classroom because Title IX covers the entire spectrum of activities in all of education, extending protection to more than 53 million elementary and secondary school students and nearly 15 million college and university students. On campus, it has affected everything from admissions to financial aid, to housing. Across the nation, it has paved the way for other civil rights legislation and has elevated the status of women in society.

While more remains to be done to ensure that every American is provided an equal opportunity for success, groups such as the Commission for Women continue to help remove obstacles to women's leadership and progress.

As you are celebrating the far-reaching effects of Title IX, please do not forget to celebrate the important strides the Penn State Commission for Women itself has made in increasing understanding about how gender bias limits opportunities. As I mentioned earlier, women now make up a substantial share of the academy and it is important that we continue to create an equitable distribution of opportunity for women and men. Expanding opportunity has made us a better institution and a more educated nation.

Thank you again for your outstanding commitment to the overall well being of women, and to the future of Penn State.