History and Founders
History
The vision and pioneering spirit of Dorothy McNeill Tucker led to the establishment of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota in 1993. The creation of an interdisciplinary research center—devoted solely to girls and women in sport—established standards of excellence with respect to scholarly inquiry, graduate education and community outreach and public service. Housed in the College of Education and Human Development's School of Kinesiology, the Tucker Center is devoted to sponsoring, promoting, and disseminating scholarly activity on how sport impacts the lives of girls and women.
As part of her lifelong commitment to bettering the lives of others, Dr. Tucker, a 1945 graduate of the University of Minnesota, has also established the Dorothy McNeill and Elbridge Ashcraft Tucker Chair for Women in Exercise Science and Sport. This Chair, made possible with a $1 million gift, was activated in the Fall of 1996. The significance of the Tucker Endowed Chair is that it is the first of its kind in the country, will garner national visibility/recognition for the University and the Tucker Center, will help to attract first rate graduate students, and will provide scientific excellence and national leadership.
The mission of the Tucker Center is threefold: 1) to conduct, sponsor, and promote basic and applied research; 2) to support and enhance the education, training, and mentorship of graduate students; and 3) to engage in community outreach and public service by disseminating research findings and educational materials to targeted constituencies.
Since its inception, the Tucker Center has provided centralization, organization, scientific excellence, and national leadership on issues of great national and local significance. Through its direction and leadership, it encourages researchers, policy makers, educators, parents and practitioners to work together to better the lives of girls and women in ways that go far beyond the playing fields.
Founders
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| Dr. Dorothy Tucker | Dr. Mary Jo Kane |
“I am sure I have received more from the gift than
has the University. The joy of giving is increased
tremendously when you can see how your gift is being
used during your lifetime.” — Dr. Dorothy McNeill Tucker (December, 1996)
Dorothy McNeill Tucker established the Dorothy McNeill and
Elbridge Ashcraft Tucker Chair for Women in Exercise Science and
Sport in 1993. This chair - the first of its kind in the world - is
the cornerstone upon which the Tucker Center is built. Dr. Tucker
graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1945, majoring in
recreation leadership. She went on to earn a doctorate and to become
the first woman tenured at California State Polytechnic University
in Pomona. She continues her pioneering efforts through her
commitment to the Center.
Mary Jo Kane, Ph.D., is the Director of the School of
Kinesiology, a Professor in the department, and the Director of the
Tucker Center. Dr. Kane is also an Adjunct Professor with the Center
for Advanced feminist Studies and the Department of American Studies
in the College of Liberal Arts.
Professor Kane received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1985 with an emphasis in sport sociology. She is an internationally recognized scholar who has published extensively on the media's stereotypic treatment of athletic females. She is also known as an expert on the passage, implementation and impact of Title IX.
In 1996, Professor Kane was awarded the first Endowed Chair related to women in sport: The Dorothy McNeill and Elbridge Ashcraft Tucker Chair for Women in Exercise Science and Sport. Dr. Kane was elected by her peers as a Fellow in the American Academy of Kinesiology, the highest honor in her field, and was inducted into the Academy in the fall of 2002. The same year she was elected by her peers to serve as member of the University Senate's Faculty Consultative Committee. In spring 2003, Professor Kane received the Scholar of the Year Award from the Women's Sports Foundation. This award is given to researchers who make significant research contributions in the area of women's sports.
In addition to her scholarly pursuits, Professor Kane teaches a number of courses in the School of Kinesiology (e.g., Women in Sport & Leisure and Sport & Society) as well as conducts graduate seminars. In 2005 Dr. Kane became the Director of the School of Kinesiology.