FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Gita Brown, 401-456-8465, gbrown@ric.edu
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – On Wednesday, Feb. 1, in celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day, five women athletes visit Rhode Island College to talk about how they made the transition from organized sports to successful sports-related careers.
Titled “The Transition Game: Title IX with the Assist,” this symposium will be held from 12:30-1:45 p.m. in Alger Hall 110 and is free and open to the public.
Co-organizer of the symposium, Associate Professor of Health and Physical Education Robin Kirkwood Auld explained that “the overarching goal of National Girls & Women in Sports Day is to bring attention to the historical timeline of the passage of Title IX legislation and to bring to light how gender equity has impacted the lives of former athletes.”
Title IX legislation helped women athletes overcome barriers that prevented them from competing in scholastic and intercollegiate athletics. It states, in part, that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
“Though Title IX helped level the playing field for women athletes, did it help them achieve positions of real power and authority in sports-related occupations that are still controlled by men?” asked RIC Professor of History Robert Cvornyek, a specialist in the history of sports and co-organizer of the symposium.
This question will be addressed by women who benefited from Title IX and went on to use their experiences in organized sports to forge successful careers in sports-based professions. They will also reveal the skills, competencies and qualities they learned as athletes that transferred over to their new careers as well as the difficulties they encountered regarding equity for women. Panelists are:
- Kayla Cullerton, graduate assistant and member of the sports medicine staff at Providence College.
- Kim Keough, producer at Rhode Island PBS.
- Jackie Kirkwood, general sales manager for ECCO Shoes.
- Courtney Mackey, assistant director of fitness and programming in the Department of Recreational Sports at Providence College.
- Theresa Moore, president and founder of T-Time Productions.
Breakout sessions following the panel discussion will allow audience members to meet individually with panelists whose career best fits their own career goals. Audience members are encouraged to ask for helpful advice, hints of the trade and things to look out for.
Students interested in communication, management, marketing, health and physical education are especially encouraged to attend.
For more information, contact organizers Robin Kirkwood Auld at rauld@ric.edu, or Robert Cvornyek at rcvornyek@ric.edu or click here.
This event is sponsored by the Department of Health and Physical Education, the Department of History, dean of the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Career Development.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Social Work, the School of Management and the School of Nursing. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
Rhode Island College is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III and a charter member of the Little East Conference. The College sponsors 21 varsity sports: men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, women's lacrosse, men’s and women’s indoor track, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s outdoor track, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s swimming, women’s volleyball, women’s gymnastics, men’s wrestling, men’s baseball and women’s softball.
