USA Today features my article reflecting on the 30 years since the law went into effect.

In June the American Council on Education's Office of Women in Higher Education held its fourth annual Women Presidents' Summit in Washington, D.C. I had the privilege of joining some 75 other female college and university presidents and higher education leaders for the summit, called "Living the Present, Shaping the Future." As a member of the ACE board of directors and former chair of its Commission on Women in Higher Education (1992 - 93), I was delighted to take part in the program, which examined both the joys and challenges faced by women in leadership roles.

Because of my involvement in the summit I was asked by USA Today --- as were Judith Rodin, president of the University of Pennsylvania, and Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute --- to write a personal reflection on the 30th anniversary of the passage of Title IX. Reprinted below are excerpts from the introduction to the three articles by USA Today reporter Mary Beth Marklein and from the text of my essay. Both were published in the newspaper's June 24 edition.

Title IX's impact measurable, 30 years later

Most people think first of sports when Title IX comes up. But the landmark 1972 law that banned sex discrimination in education extends to academics and employment, too. Today, 30 years after Title IX, more women go to college and serve on college faculties. A report by the American Council on Education shows that in 2001 women were presidents at 22 percent of the nation's 3,800 colleges and universities, up from 19 percent in 1999 and 9.5 percent in 1986.

Still, women remain underrepresented in faculties and leadership. And their numbers "tend to decrease as the rank in the career ladder or the prestige of the educational institution increases," says a progress report by the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education.

As Title IX celebrates its 30th anniversary this month, USA Today asked three female college presidents to reflect on the impact of the law and remaining barriers. Peggy R. Williams:

As a college president whose women's softball team just won the NCAA Division III national title, I am confident that the passage of Title IX has made a difference. The women on our team grew up in an environment of encouragement and opportunity. They knew no other environment.

When thinking of Title IX many people focus on the financial aspects of budgets for school and college athletics departments, town recreation departments, etc. Although financial support has been a critical factor, in my view the most important impact of Title IX has been less tangible.

With Title IX society conveyed a critical message to females: that the world of athletics was theirs, too, and that the benefits of participation could positively affect many dimensions of their lives. We know that participation in athletics helps individuals develop discipline in time management and goal-setting; the ability to work well with others and to deal with achievement as well as disappointment; and many other lifelong skills they can use beyond sports.

I grew up in a different environment, where such opportunities were available to girls from a young age. I lived in Montreal and attended all-girls' schools until college. I was an active athlete from age six, when I took up competitive swimming. In high school I played softball and basketball; I participated in intramurals in college. In the all-female environment, we were the athletes, not the cheerleaders. The lasting benefits of such participation were obvious to me.

I knew of no other model beyond my own until I moved to the United States and joined the higher education community in the early 1970s. Girls and women in this country owe a great deal to those wise and courageous individuals, including my predecessor at Ithaca College, James Whalen, who saw the need to open up the world of athletics for girls and women.

--- reprinted with permission from USA Today