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�¼������ϲʿ���ֱ�� Women’s Connection is a group of alumni who have been, and continue to be, focused on the empowerment of women and the enhancement of the student experience—now with a renewed and inclusive focus reflected by the new name.

Early days

�¼������ϲʿ���ֱ�� admitted the university’s first female students in 1881. Four years later, Margaret Florence Newcombe was awarded a Bachelor of Arts — the first woman to graduate from Dal.

Then, in 1909, a group of women created the �¼������ϲʿ���ֱ�� Alumnae Association. The first alumni association at Dal, its first task was securing housing for female students so they could pursue a university degree.

When Jennie Shirreff Eddy donated the full amount required to build a women’s residence in 1920, to be named for her parents, Shirreff Hall, the money the �¼������ϲʿ���ֱ�� Alumnae Association had raised to that point was used to furnish three key public spaces in Shirreff Hall: the Victorian Lounge, the Library, and the Study Hall. An endowment of the Women’s Division continues this beautification.

In 1946, the group merged with the �¼������ϲʿ���ֱ�� Alumni Association and assumed a new name: Women’s Division, �¼������ϲʿ���ֱ�� Alumni Association (WDDAA).

The work continued, with additional ideas and projects taking shape over the years. There were several named scholarships established for the university by the WDDAA, plus bursaries—including an international study one—and awards and medals in several faculties.

In 1991, the WDDAA hosted the Student Musicale for the first time, in partnership with Dal’s Fountain School of Performing Arts. It’s become a beloved tradition and the Student Musicale will next be held in January 2025.

Cynthia Pilichos (BA’68, BEd’75)�����Ի���Elizabeth Ryan (BA’70) are the group’s two long-serving co-leads.

“I became a member of the Women’s Division �¼������ϲʿ���ֱ�� Alumni Association through Cynthia Pilichos. I knew Cynthia from our undergraduate days and when I saw her at an Annual Student Musicale, she suggested I join,” says Ryan. “I was volunteering with other women’s group and had the time and interest in learning new things and meeting new people.”