LSU Women’s Center Director Catherine Hopkins, AAUW Louisiana Vice President of Programs Mary Francis and LSU Community Affairs Liaison Brandon Smith discuss the planning for LSU’s WE>START program at the Women’s Center.
AAUW Awards Grant to LSU Women's Center and CUP
LSU's Women's Center and Community University Partnership, or CUP, has been awarded a 2008-09 Campus Action Project grant from the American Association of University Women, or AAUW, for Women Experiencing Success Through Academics, Resources and Training.
Campus Action Project, or CAP, grants fund initiatives that target educational barriers faced by women and girls from minority and low-income backgrounds. LSU's Women Experiencing Success Through Academics, Resources and Training, or WE>START, will target single mothers ages 15-24 in the Old South Baton Rouge community.
The initiative is comprised of five seminars covering educational and professional development topics. Seminars will be held at the LSU Women's Center and African-American Cultural Center beginning in March 2009.
"We are delighted that the AAUW recognizes our sustained efforts of improving the quality of life in the Old South Baton Rouge community," said Katrice Albert, vice provost for Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach. "By interacting directly with single mothers and their children through the WE>START initiative, professional staff from the Women's Center and CUP will certainly be allowed to make a significant impact. We are also very proud that LSU is among other leading institutions like the University of Michigan, Bradley University and California State University which were granted the national AAUW CAP award."
Each year, AAUW selects a project topic aligned with its mission of advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research. The 2008-09 CAP teams receiving funding will focus on the issues highlighted in AAUW's 2008 research report, "Where the Girls Are: The Facts About Gender Equity in Education." The report found that although most girls finish high school and women earn the majority of bachelor's degrees, there are significant disparities in educational achievement and attainment among girls and women by race and family income.
In April 2008, the LSU Community University Partnership completed "Lending a Hand: A Comprehensive Study of Single Mothers in Baton Rouge and the State of Louisiana." Consistent with the AAUW report, "Where the Girls Are," "Lending a Hand" highlighted the imparities that affect young women in blighted communities.
In total, AAUW selected 11 teams from around the country to implement projects based on "Where the Girls Are." The selected projects focus on preparing for college; promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) among women and girls; and encouraging young women to be leaders in their communities.
"AAUW is breaking through educational barriers so that all women and girls have a fair chance, and that is exactly what the CAP teams selected this year are doing in their communities," said Kate C. Farrar, director of AAUW's Leadership and Training Institute. "Our teams are reaching young women who may not have considered attending college and are helping them see it as a realistic possibility."
One member from each CAP team will present the project at the AAUW/NASPA National Conference for College Women Student Leaders in June at the University of Maryland at College Park. The conference helps students connect with other students and successful women while honing their leadership skills for their work on campus and in their communities.
For information on the Community University Partnership or the LSU Women's Center, visit their Web sites at www.lsu.edu/cup and www.lsu.edu/wc or e-lsucup@lsu.edu and wc@lsu.edu. The Community University Partnership and the Women's Center are both divisions of the LSU Office of Equity, Diversity and Community Outreach, or EDCO. For more information about the EDCO, visit www.lsu.edu/diversity. For information about the AAUW, contact Lisa Smith at goodnight1@aauw.org.
About the American Association of University Women
AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research. Since 1881, AAUW has been one of the nation's leading voices, promoting education and equity for women and girls. It has a nationwide network of nearly 100,000 members, 1,300 branches and 500 college/university institutional partners. Since its founding more than 127 years ago, members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day - educational, social, economic and political. AAUW's commitment to educational equity is reflected in its public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships and international connections. The AAUW Leadership and Training Institute provides programs that help women and girls acquire the skills they need to succeed and assume leadership roles in their academic, professional and personal lives.
Melissa Foley | Writer | Office of Communications & University Relations
February 2009
