History and Mission

The UofL Women's Center serves as a catalyst for empowering women at UofL and throughout the Louisville area.

The mission of the Women's Center is to build alliances with campus and community groups in order:

• to promote equality

• to increase women's self-reliance

• to heighten the understanding of women's contributions to all societies

The Women's Center carries out this mission by designing programs that encourage participation, including performances, discussion, exhibitions; by involving women and men of diverse races, classes, ethnic origins, sexual orientations, and age groups in creative activities contributing to public education, research, and policy development; and by producing informative and coalition-building publications.

U OF L WOMEN’S CENTER ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS

IN GENDER EQUITY; GRADUATE & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The University of Louisville Women’s Center recently presented awards in the following categories at their annual Elizabeth Cady Stanton Luncheon held in November.

The Dr. Mary K. Bonsteel Tachau Gender Equity Award was presented to Julie Hermann, Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator in Athletics at U of L.  Hermann is also a Champion 4 Her. The Tachau award is given to a member of the U of L community who has done significant work towards gender equity.  The award is named in honor of Mary K. Bonsteel Tachau, constitutional scholar, the first woman to serve as chair of the U of L history department, and the first woman chair of the faculty senate.

The Dr. M. Celeste Professional Development Award was presented to graduate students, Kim Roper, English Rhetoric & Composition; Jamie L. Izlar, School of Law; and Nichole Burruss, Humanities. The award is given to a U of L graduate student for travel or other professional development beyond normal graduate program expenses.  The Nichols award is named in honor of M. Celeste Nichols, student, scholar, mentor and professor.  She was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from U of L’s English Department.

The Women’s Center serves as a catalyst for empowering women at U of L and throughout the Louisville area.

Upcoming Events

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Luncheon - November 13, 2008

For reservations contact the Women's center at 852-8976.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

The origin of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Awards Luncheon lies in the 2001-2002 Tenth Anniversary Year of Celebration for the UofL Women’s Center. During that celebration,  the  Center hosted a kick-off luncheon with a keynote; and invited university staff and faculty to attend the event, bringing a younger woman as a guest. This model was so successful, that the Center repeated it at the conclusion of the Anniversary Year with a gala dinner honoring UofL’s “founding mothers” whose vision gave birth to the Commission on the Status of Women; the Women’s and Gender Studies Department; and the  Women’s Center.

At the conclusion of the 10th Anniversary year, the Women’s Center continued to honor the university’s “founding mothers” with a shared meal and keynote speaker. However, we needed to moved the event into the fall semester and  designed an annual celebration of  the November 12 birthday of Suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. At that time, the Center also inaugurated two  awards: the Mary K. Bonsteel-Tachau Gender Equity Award and the M. Celeste Nichols Professional Development Award.  Both are named for women who were trailblazers at the University of Louisville.

 

This years keynote speaker is:

Lynn Niedermeier

Lynn Niedermeier keynote speakerLynn Niedermeier is a native of Kansas City, but grew up in Toronto, Ontario.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and a law degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.  After practicing law for several years in Canada, she returned to her first love and obtained a master’s degree in history with an emphasis in historic preservation from Middle Tennessee State University.  She is employed as anassistant in Library Special Collections at Western Kentucky University, where she has written many articles on local and University history.  She is the author of two books: “That Mighty Band of Maidens”: A History of Potter College for Young Ladies, Bowling Green, Kentucky; and Eliza Calvert Hall: Kentucky Author and Suffragist.

Get Healthy Now   -  Be a Champion

U of L’s health management program, Get Healthy Now, is coordinating U of L’s involvement in the Champions 4 Her Run, Walk & Festival. Whether you are a seasoned athlete or a novice, Get Healthy Now has designed a program that allows you to work with a team toward individual cardio goals and to earn prizes. Get Healthy Now support includes: personalized fitness training by certified coaches, your own personal web site for tracking progress towards goals, and a supportive group of teammates. More information can be found at: http://www.louisville.edu/hr/gethealthynow/champions-4-her 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your wonderful support of the Women's Center in Champions 4 Her!  Through your participation and generous donations the Women's Center received $13,777.89! 

Stay tuned to our web site for more events and information! 

 

 *The Champions 4 Her Walk, Run & Festival was created to improve the health and financial well-being of women and girls in Louisville.  Selected beneficiary partners for 2008  focus on: youth mentoring; treatment of severely traumatized children; leadership development for women and girls;  prevention of sexual violence and services for its victims; artistic expression for underprivileged girls;  the needs of single mothers and their children;  and education and competitive athletics for college-aged women. No funds will be distributed to organizations whose primary focus is religion, politics, or reproductive rights

 Women's Center Hot Topics

National Womens History Month-  For the calendar submission form and further information, please Click Here.

UofL joins Project Women to address important community need-  The University of Louisville will take part in a project near its Belknap Campus to help unemployed or underemployed single parents pursue an education to become self-sufficient.  Project Women Open Book Spring 2007 Newsletter outlines the project in further detail.   Visit the U of L Website for more information.  Hot off the presses read President Ramsey's address .

 The Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk® is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research.  Held annually in hundreds of communities across the country, this inspiring event calls on volunteers of all ages to become champions in the fight against Alzheimer's.  This year the University Of Louisville School of Public Health will organize a team of walkers for the event.  If you are interested in walking with us please contact Debbie Dunn at 502-852-1798 or email her

Event Particulars:

Where:  Louisville, Kentucky at the Waterfront Park
When:  September 6, 2008 - 8:30 am
Length:  Less Than 1 mile
Details:  Great Lawn
 

Current Women's Health News 

Click now on this very valuable link for Women's Health take the challenge and get healthy now.

You can advance Women's Health for Women by Women!  GET INVOLVED

You can advance the health of Kentucky Women by joining the Kentucky Women's Health registry.  Help yourself and women across the Commonwealth by filling out a confidential questionnaire once every year.  From the privacy and comfort of your own home, in just 20 minutes each year, you can help improve the health of 2 million women.  Please join your sisters today and fill out the survey at www.kywomensregistry.com.   If you have further questions please call 1-800-929-2320.

Visit our Raising Women’s Voices project news page to find out how you can help to raise women’s voices in local, state and national debates over health care reform, so that women’s perspectives about their health care needs and those of their families can be powerfully articulated, genuinely considered and incorporated into health care reform policy.

Raising Women’s Voices is a collaboration between the Avery Institute for Social Change, the National Women’s Health Network and The MergerWatch Project.

Current Scholarship News

The Women's Center promotes many local and national scholarships and are pleased to provide the following current links.  We are pleased to provide a grants, scholarship, and intern booklet(PDF) which contains 100's of opportunities for you to download for free.  This download requires adobe acrobat.

The University of Louisville Women’s Center announces the sixth  annual Dr. Celeste Nichols Professional Development Award and the Mary K. Tachau Gender Equity Award.

Nominations are invited for the Mary K. Bonsteel Tachau Gender Equity Award which will be presented  to a member of the UofL  community  - broadly defined to include all of those, past and present, who have some affiliation with the University of Louisville - whose work has directly furthered  gender equity. The award will be given on November 13, 2008, by the UofL Women’s Center and the UofL Commission on the Status of Women, at the Women’s Center Elizabeth Cady Stanton Luncheon. The deadline to submit the award is September 28, 2008.  Read more about the Mary K. Bonsteel Tachau Gender Equity Award.

Dr. Celeste Nichols Professional Development Award- Graduate students are invited to apply for an award- up to $500- that supports academic and professional enrichment beyond normal graduate program expenses.  Application deadline is  September 28,  2008 with the award given in November at the U of L Women's Center annual Elizabeth Cady Stanton Luncheon.  Learn more about the Dr. Celeste Nichols Professional Development Award. Read More about the Dr. Celeste Nichols Professional Development Award.

Jason Johnson Scholarship- Jason Johnson inspired us all in 2006, when he spoke out against the injustice of his dismissal from the University of the  Cumberlands, strictly because of his sexual orientation.

The Kentucky Fairness Alliance (KFA) Foundation established the Jason Johnson Scholarship in effort to honor and support such bright, energetic young leaders as they pursue their education.

A $1,500 scholarship will be awarded this year to a Kentucky student based on social and financial need, scholastic aptitude, and leadership potential. We pay close attention to students who have lost the financial and social support of their families and/or communities as a result of revealing their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Please share the downloadable scholarship application with anyone who may be an applicant for this award.  

The deadline to submit applications is August 15, 2008. If you have any questions regarding this scholarship program, please feel free to contact Jody Cofer by e-mail or  by phone at 270-703-1582.

Your support of this program will not end anti-fairness extremism in Kentucky, but it will provide support to a student facing hardships that many of us have already experienced.


 

Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund- In keeping with its long-standing tradition of serving the community, the Talbots Charitable Foundation is pleased to offer a unique, national $100,000 scholarship program: a fund just for Women who earned their high school dipolma or GED at least 10 years ago, and who are now seeking a college degree.  Established in 1997, Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund annually awards five $10,000 scholarships and fifty $1,000 scholarships to women returning to college.  Talbots Charitable Foundation is proud to support the efforts of all women striving to achieve thier goals. The Women's Center has applications for you to fill out.  Please contact us for further information.

River City Business & Professional Women’s Foundation, Inc - Grants may be awarded to candidates who meet the following criteria:

• Women 25 years of age or older by July 1.

• U.S. citizen and resident of the Louisville metropolitan area.

• Evidence of acceptance into an accredited program.

• Need financial assistance to complete education or upgrade skills.

• Applicants need not be BPW members or require endorsement of a BPW affiliate.

Click here to download the PDF application.   Deadline is May , 2008. 

Contact Information

Office Hours: 8:30-5:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday

Address: Administration Annex (Belknap Campus)
University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292

We are on the ground floor of the Administration Annex, building #15 on the Campus Map, near the corner of Eastern Parkway & 3rd Street; not far from the Information Center South (1B).

Phone: (502) 852-8976

E-mail: womenctr@louisville.edu