The 125th Anniversary of Auburn Women

Derek Herscovici with co-worker Erin Hutchins at the 125th Anniversary of Auburn Women Black-Tie Gala

In 2017, Auburn celebrated 125 years since admitting women to the school for the first time. As is the unfortunate case everywhere, the accomplishments and contributions of Auburn women seldom received equal recognition as their male counterparts. The end result was that much of their history was lost to time — the first women graduates at Auburn, its individual athletic and scholastic achievements. By the end of the year, we had succeeded in bringing light to lost history.

My role within the Auburn Alumni Association is to communicate to graduates of Auburn University, to connect the past and the present. I felt it within my purview to reclaim as much history as I could and bring it to light for the benefit of everyone. From compiling the first complete record of Auburn’s female athletes in each sport to discovering the oldest living Auburn alumnae Helen Krauss Leslie, we left no stone unturned.

A massive crowdsourcing campaign where we asked alumni to share

their own stories generated 270 unique submissions, while partnerships across campus allowed other colleges to participate in their own way.

Our Fall 2017 issue was dedicated entirely to the 125th Anniversary and we structured each department to reflect different historic and modern-day aspects of the female experience. The centerpiece was a four-section “book” on the complete history of Auburn women, from the beginnings of co-education with Julia Tutweiler to the present day. I wrote the introduction and the fourth chapter, in addition to coordinating the story and flow of the book with three different authors.

Our efforts won us the CASE District III Special Merit Award, while our website was also recognized with a CASE District III Special Merit Award for Alumni Website or Microsite. The interactive timeline and submitted stories will remain online permanently as a resource not just for women but all of the Auburn community.

Lastly, the end result of all our efforts was recognition with the CASE District III Grand Prize for Alumni Relations Engagement Project, Event or Program, the organization's top international award.

But, more than the award, together we created one of the most wide-reaching events in Auburn's history and provided alumnae with a sense of identity and a written history to be proud of. I watched this project grow out of our office, around campus and beyond, and will never forget it.