Campus Women Lead

Our History

Campus Women Lead grew out of the collaborative efforts of a multicultural group of veteran women administrators and faculty members who began working together in 2000 as the steering committee of the National Initiative for Women in Higher Education (NIWHE).

Originally created to implement recommendations arising from the national teleconference “Women’s Voices, Women’s Lives,” hosted by the University of Minnesota in March 2000, NIWHE brought its collective influence to bear on national issues affecting women, people of color, and others concerned about equitable access to higher education. They worked to support and champion programs of national importance, such as Title IX, Affirmative Action in academic admissions and hiring, and the extension of financial aid programs.

In 2002, NIWHE became an affiliate of Association of American Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) Office on Diversity, Equity and Global Initiatives and its Program on the Status and Education of Women (PSEW). As an affiliate of PSEW, NIWHE presented at AAC&U’s annual meetings and at the biannual conference on “Diversity and Learning.” Shortly thereafter, the NIWHE steering committee adopted the name Campus Women Lead for their website and listserv. The following year, the steering committee decided to apply the same title to the organization as a whole. Thus NIWHE became Campus Women Lead (CWL).