February 27, 2013

Celebrate Women Luncheon is March 7

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- An annual event that celebrates the contributions of women to University life and raises funds for scholarships will be next week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The Celebrate Women Luncheon is set for March 7.  This is the 17th year for the luncheon, which is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Student Center Ballroom B.  The event commemorates March as Women’s History Month, and the gourmet buffet luncheon also helps fund scholarships for female students.

Tickets are $25.  To purchase tickets, go to southernticketsonline.com/, call 618/521-0613, or contact Martha Ellert at msellert@aol.com.

Sponsors for “Celebrate Women: Honoring Inclusive Excellence,” are SIU’s Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, University Women’s Professional Advancement (UWPA), and the Carbondale branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Following opening remarks by Chancellor Rita Cheng and previous scholarship recipient Mallary Allen, the event features presentations that celebrate the “Visions and Voices of Women in the Arts.”  Photographer Fern Logan, associate professor emerita in Cinema and Photography, will present “Visions from the Goddess Series,” followed by Margaret Simmons, professor emerita, and Jeanine Wagner, director of the School of Music, presenting “Voices of African-American Women Composers.”

An awards ceremony will then recognize recipients of several honors, including the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies/UWPA Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity Award; the AAUW and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies scholarships; Women’s Intersports Network in Southern Illinois (WIN SI) awards, and UWPA Mentoring awards.

A reception in the John W. Corker Lounge follows the awards ceremony.  Coffee and dessert will be available.

The 2013 Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity Award recipients will make presentations discussing their work beginning at 2 p.m. in Ballroom A. 

Presenters will include: Angela Aguayo, assistant professor, Cinema and Photography; Valerie Boyer, assistant professor, Rehabilitation Institute; Julia Champe and Dorea Glance, assistant professors, Educational Psychology and Special Education; Laura Morthland, assistant professor, School of Architecture; Patricia Saleeby, assistant professor, School of Social Work, and Wenjing Xie, assistant professor, School of Journalism.