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NACWAA HONORS JOANNE “JO” KUHN With Lifetime Achievement Award
Wilmington , NC , August 15, 2005 - This year, the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) will honor Joanne “Jo” Kuhn, Texas Woman’s University, as one of its Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. Joining Ms. Kuhn are four other very special women, each of whom has provided outstanding leadership in intercollegiate athletics. They include Linda Jean Carpenter, Ph.D., Brooklyn College, Elma Neal Roane, University of Memphis, Marya Welch, Ph.D., University of California, Davis and Jeannette A. Lee (posthumously), Saint Paul’s College. “It is such an honor to pay special tribute to the women who dedicated their efforts to the enhancement of opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics,” said Jennifer Alley, Executive Director.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to athletics administrators who have dedicated their professional careers to advancing women in sport and because of their tireless efforts girls and women participating in sport truly can enjoy competitive athletics or athletic career opportunities. The 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon, sponsored by NIKE, will be held on Sunday, October 9, 2005, at the NACWAA National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.
Joanne “Jo” Kuhn was director of athletics (1982-92), assistant professor (1967-97), and golf, basketball and softball coach over the course of her career in athletics. With more than 30 years of accomplishments as an administrator, coach, and teacher, Jo Kuhn has established herself as an ardent promoter and devoted supporter of women's athletics.
After playing on the LPGA tour for three years, Kuhn was appointed to the kinesiology faculty at Texas Woman’s University in 1967. She coached the golf, basketball and softball teams to numerous state titles. Kuhn became TWU’s director of athletics in 1982 at a time when athletics had been reduced to a marginal, no-scholarship program with virtually no financial or university support. In ten years, she moved the program from the cellar to a nationally recognized contender. As an independent school, Kuhn succeeded in gaining TWU’s admission to the Lone Star Conference, a Division II conference for schools with programs in both men’s and women’s sports in 1988. More than $750,000 has been designated for athletics scholarships through the fundraising efforts of the Pioneer Scholarship Campaign, which Kuhn established in 1984.
Ms. Kuhn has accomplished many things in her career. Some of the highlights include: vice president of the Texas Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women; U.S. Softball Selection Committee for the Pan American Games; commissioner of AIAW Region 4; and member of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators’ Board of Directors. Kuhn was instrumental in proposing a bill to the NCAA and obtaining a favorable vote to permit try-outs for Division II institutions. She was elected to the Ursinus College Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988. Kuhn received one of the highest honors of her career in 1992 when the National Association for Sport and Physical Education inducted her into the National Sport Hall of Fame. The award is given to the outstanding individual who has made significant contributions to maintaining sport as an integral part of the total education program.
Ms. Kuhn resigned as director of athletics in 1992 so she could return to teaching. In December 1992, TWU Athletics established the Jo Kuhn Leadership Award to be presented each spring to the student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities.
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About National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators
Founded in 1979, National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA; www.nacwaa.org) is the only nationally recognized collegiate professional membership organization whose mission is to enhance and promote opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics administration. NACWAA with nearly 2,000 members promotes the growth, leadership, and success of women as athletics administrators, conference commissioners, professional staff, coaches and student-athletes. It is a not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to providing education al programs, professional and personal development opportunities, information exchange, and support services to enhance collegiate athletics. |
