The American Association of University Women (AAUW) was the first organization of university women in the United States. It was founded as the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA) on January 14, 1882 by sixty-five women from Boston University, the universities of Michigan and Wisconsin, Cornell, Oberlin, Smith, Vassar, and Wellesley. In 1921, the name was changed to the American Association of University Women after the ACA merged with the Western Association of Collegiate Alumnae (founded 1883 in Chicago) and the Southern Association of College Women (founded in 1903). The AAUW led the movement to improve conditions and facilities for women in many colleges and universities. Early administrators used AAUW institutional admission as leverage to obtain funding for women's dormitories, to improve the salaries of women instructors, and to encourage the hiring of women in positions beyond the instructor level, as well as to promote a cordial attitude toward women students. Today the Association promotes the advancement of women's education and women in society by funding projects of branch and state divisions and individual members through research and project grants and fellowship programs. The AAUW maintains a library and an archival collection on women, supports a lobbying team on women's issues, and produces numerous publications. There are branches in every state and a membership of nearly two hundred thousand.