KINGSTON, R.I. – October 31, 2005 – Former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, often called the “father of Title IX,” will address the University of Rhode Island Honors Colloquium Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Bayh will discuss “Title IX and Intercollegiate Sport” at 7 p.m. in the Barry Marks Auditorium, Room 271, Chafee Social Science Center, Kingston Campus. The program is part of the free public lecture series “Contemporary Sport: Healthy Pursuit or Obsession?”presented by the URI Honors Program.
In October, Bayh, former senator from Indiana and former legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden were name co-recipients of the National Collegiate Athletic Association President’s Gerald R. Ford Award, which honors individuals who have provided leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics over the course their careers.
A member of the United States Senate from 1962 to 1980, Bayh sponsored the landmark 1972 Title IX federal legislation that required equal opportunity for men and women in all federally funded education programs, including athletics. The law paved the way for full participation by thousands of girls and women in a variety of sports at the youth, high school, collegiate, Olympic and professional levels.
During his Senate career, he served on the Judiciary Committee, the Appropriations Committee, and the Environment and Public Works Committee. He authored two Amendments to the Constitution — the 25th Amendment on Presidential and Vice Presidential succession, and the 26th Amendment lowering the voting age to 18.
In addition to Title IX, Bayh was co-author of the Bayh-Doyle Act, which revitalized the nation’s patent system, and was chief architect of the Juvenile Justice Act, mandating the separation of juvenile offenders from adult prisoners. Bayh also served as a member of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Among other leadership roles within the Senate, Bayh was chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1977 to 1980 and served as chairman of the National Institute Against Prejudice and Violence from 1984 to 1994. He continues to practice law with the Washington, D.C. firm, Venable LLP, and is often invited to speak about his landmark Title IX work.
Major sponsors of the colloquium are The Providence Journal, Theta Chi Fraternity, URI Honors Program, URI President’s Office, Institute for International Sport, URI Office of the Provost, URI College of Arts and Sciences, URI College of Business Administration and the URI Division of University Advancement.
Co-sponsors are the URI Department of Athletics, Multicultural Center, College of Nursing, College of Human Science and Services, College of Pharmacy, Office of Student Affairs and Women’s Studies Program.
For more information, visit www.uri.edu/hc or contact the URI Honors Center at 401-874-2381 or debg@uri.edu.
The Honors Program at URI offers learning enrichment opportunities that broaden and enhance the undergraduate educational experience. The program features small classes, a nationally renowned honors colloquium, national scholarship advising, and in-depth study and research with select faculty mentors.
URI students must maintain a minimum 3.2 grade-point average to continue participation.
Open access to the Honors Program continues for qualified students throughout their undergraduate years. About 900 URI students participate in the Honors Program. About 60 students are participating in the Honors Colloquium this fall, which also has a companion class.