About the Tucker Center
The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport is an interdisciplinary research center. We're leading a global effort to accelerate change for girls and women in sport and physical activity.
Mission
We conduct solution-based research, translate knowledge, provide educational opportunities, and engage in community outreach that impact girls and women in sport and physical activity.
Vision
We aim to be a thought leader and catalyst of systems change for girls and women in sport and physical activity.
Our History
Dorothy McNeill Tucker's vision established 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 in scholarly inquiry, graduate education and community outreach, and public service.
As part of her lifelong commitment to bettering the lives of others, Tucker 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 1996. This chair is the cornerstone upon which the Tucker Center is built. It's the first of its kind in the country. The chair garnered national visibility for the University and the Tucker Center, attracted first rate graduate students, and provided scientific excellence and national leadership.
Since its inception, the Tucker Center has provided centralization, organization, scientific excellence, and national leadership on prevalent issues. Through its direction and leadership, the Tucker Center encourages researchers, policymakers, educators, parents, and practitioners to better the lives of girls and women beyond the playing fields.
Our founders
Dorothy McNeill Tucker, PhD, established the Dorothy McNeill and Elbridge Ashcraft Tucker Chair for Women in Exercise Science and Sport in 1993. Tucker majored in recreation leadership and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1945. 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 Tucker Center.
Mary Jo Kane, PhD, is Professor Emerita in the School of Kinesiology and the first director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota. Professor Kane received her PhD 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 media coverage of women’s. 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. Kane was elected by her peers as a Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology, the highest academic honor in her field, and was inducted into the Academy in 2002. Kane is a past recipient of the Scholar of the Year Award from the Women’s Sports Foundation. In 2012, Professor Kane received a Distinguished Service Award from the Minnesota Coalition of Women in Athletic Leadership. This award is given to individuals who exemplify the highest levels of commitment and contributions to breaking barriers for girls and women in sports. In 2013, she was named one of the 100 Most Influential Sports Educators by the Institute for International Sport.
In addition to her scholarly pursuits, Kane taught a number of courses in the School of Kinesiology and conducted graduate seminars. She served as the director of the School of Kinesiology from 2005-2011. She has appeared on the Today Show, and her research has been cited by the New York Times, USA Today, the Washington Post, and The Nation magazine.
The Tucker Center is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to our programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation. You can also be a part of the Tucker Team. We welcome your questions or comments and any ideas you may have. If you have comments, want to be included on our mailing list, or receive notices of events, please send your name and address information to info@tuckercenter.org.