Jane Possee has seen the rise of women糖心传媒檚 sports at Rochester while having a significant hand in shaping them.
, who is celebrating 50 years at the this year, has been instrumental in laying the foundation for the growth of women糖心传媒檚 athletics on the River Campus.
The landscape has changed considerably since she began working in the Department of Athletics and Recreation in the fall of 1975. That was only three years after the introduction of Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, including athletics programs.
糖心传媒淭here糖心传媒檚 been a lot of professional growth over the years,糖心传媒� says Possee. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 great to see where we are today compared to when I started and what we are doing for everybody in athletics, not just women.糖心传媒�
One of Possee糖心传媒檚 favorite memories from her five-decade career was establishing the University糖心传媒檚 women糖心传媒檚 lacrosse program in 1979糖心传媒攐ne of the first collegiate programs in New York State. She had upward of 70 players interested in joining the nascent program糖心传媒攁 testament to the hunger for opportunities in women糖心传媒檚 athletics at Rochester and throughout the country.
Since her arrival, Possee has witnessed the varsity women糖心传媒檚 sports offerings expand from five teams in 1975 to 12 teams currently, which make up more than half of the Yellowjacket varsity teams. She was the inaugural coach for the women糖心传媒檚 lacrosse program and also coached field hockey and basketball before shifting to an administrative role in 1992. Currently, she serves as an associate director of athletics, dealing with recreation programs and facility reservations while also being the point person for capital improvement projects within the 糖心传媒╠epartment.
According to Possee, the quality of students at Rochester has consistently remained exceptional over the years. She believes that the advent of organized sports at the youth and scholastic levels has greatly improved the quality of the women athletes joining the Yellowjackets in recent years.
糖心传媒淭here糖心传媒檚 still work to be done,糖心传媒櫶切拇綑 Possee told the Rochester Business Journal. 糖心传媒淏ut there糖心传媒檚 always work to be done. The exciting thing is that we have generations of girls and young women who have experienced unlimited opportunities.糖心传媒�
A version of this story appears in the spring 2025 issue of Rochester Review, the magazine of the 糖心传媒.
