On February 21, 1914, ten women held an informal meeting in Oshkosh to discuss founding a local chapter of a national female educators association. The women officially reassembled as the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA) on March 7, 1914. They elected officers, drafted by-laws and collected dues; less than a year later, in January 1915, the chapter had 35 members.
The women pushed community outreach during the Oshkosh ACA's first several years. The group's earliest efforts included supervising the dance hall and maintaining local playgrounds. During World War I, members sponsored a French orphan, knitted for the Red Cross, and sent gifts to troops overseas.
In 1920, the ACA and the Southern Association of College Women merged to form the American Association of University Women. AAUW continued its outreach during the Great Depression and into World War II, offering services to the local draft board and making 540 pillows and 50 army bags for troops.
Over the last century, Oshkosh AAUW has promoted equity for women and girls through informational workshops, guest speakers and community involvement. The AAUW also partners with the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh to co-sponsor programming, and the branch awards an annual scholarship to a UW-Oshkosh graduate student and a Fox Valley Technical College student.
