Women at Emory: Past, Present, and Future

It is long overdue but worth the wait. Scholarship by Emory’s women always has been of the highest order, humming along in a way that seemed quietly excellent. As planning was getting under way for the symposium, a Pulitzer Prize winner—Natasha Trethewey—burst from our ranks. What it taught us is that although Natasha Trethewey’s achievement marks a true summit, pushing the boundaries of the mind and imagination is always noisy and disturbs our balance. And Emory women scholars do just that, in significant ways, every day.

So, forget quiet. The women gathered here—and the women whose past achievements we celebrate during these two days—are intellectual noisemakers. We therefore resolve to act as celebrants do, raising our voices in toast and kicking up a little dust. This symposium marks a particular intersection in the history of three groups that have done so much to empower the voices of women: the President’s Commission on the Status of Women (celebrating its thirtieth year), the Department of Women’s Studies (celebrating its twentieth year), and the Center for Women at Emory (celebrating its fifteenth year). It is a joint venture of these three organizations along with the Office of the Provost, Emory College, and the Graduate School. Additional organizations with key anniversaries include: Women in Theology and Ministry at Candler School of Theology (celebrating its eighteenth year) and the Women and Children’s Center at the Rollins School of Public Health (celebrating its fifteenth year). The purpose of the event is not only to expound but to exult—to recognize the academic and scholarly achievements of women across campus during the last thirty years and to honor those who worked toward the advancement of women at Emory.

For those who might fear for their fingers and toes, there are seats in the back. For those who crave the constant pop of sharp minds, we will look for you in the front.

Thursday, October 4
3:00–7:00p
Jones Room, Woodruff Library

3:00p
Welcome
Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD (Professor and Chief Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Grady Health System, School of Medicine; Symposium Chair; and
Past-Chair, President’s Commission on the Status of Women)

Earl Lewis, PhD (Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs)

Susan M. Carini, MA (04G; Executive Director, Emory Creative Group; Chair, President’s Commission on the Status of Women)

Lynne Huffer, PhD (Professor and Chair, Women’s Studies, Emory College)

Ali P. Crown, BA (85C; Director, Center for Women at Emory; President, Phi Beta Kappa of Emory University)

3:15p
Introduction of Keynote Speaker
Lisa Tedesco, PhD (Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Graduate Studies; Dean, Graduate School; Professor, Rollins School of Public Health and Division of Educational Studies, Emory College)

3:30p
Keynote Address
“Women in the Academy: Insider Voices with Outsider Values”
Nancy Cantor, PhD, Chancellor and President of Syracuse University

4:45p
Break

5:00p
Work-Life Panel
Jill Perry-Smith, PhD (Assistant Professor of Organization and Management, Goizueta Business School)

Julie Seaman, JD (Associate Professor, School of Law)

Bradd Shore, PhD (Professor of Anthropology, Emory College; Director, MARIAL Center)

Cynthia Willett, PhD (Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Emory College)

Moderator: Kim Loudermilk, PhD (97PhD; Senior Associate Dean for Academic Planning, Emory College)

6:00p
Oral History Project Video
The first phase of the Oral History Project, led by the President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW), has resulted in thirty unforgettable interviews with remarkable Emory women, past and present. The complete interviews are available by clicking this link. The seven-minute video gives a lively preview of the project as a whole.

Presented by Susan M. Carini, MA (04G; Executive Director, Emory Creative Group; Chair, President’s Commission on the Status of Women)

6:15–7:00p
Reception
Schatten Gallery, Woodruff Library

Friday, October 5
8:00a–5:30p
Cox Hall, Third Floor/Ballroom

8:00a
Continental Breakfast

8:30a
Welcome
Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD (Professor and Chief Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Grady Health System, School of Medicine; Symposium Chair; and
Past-Chair, President’s Commission on the Status of Women)

Susan M. Carini, MA (04G; Executive Director, Emory Creative Group; Chair, President’s Commission on the Status of Women)

Lynne Huffer, PhD (Professor and Chair, Women’s Studies, Emory College)

Ali P. Crown, BA (85C; Director, Center for Women at Emory; President, Phi Beta Kappa of Emory University)

9:00a
Women’s Studies Plenary (Click here for details.)

10:30a
Break

10:45a
Break-Out Sessions (Click here for details.)
Track 1a: Women in the Professions: “Women Leadership in the Professions”
Track 1b: Women’s Health: “Genetics, Biology, and Healthier Lifestyles”
Track 1c: Women in Culture and Society: “Shifting (Mis-)Representations of Women: Examining Cultural Stereotypes, Images, and Myths”

Noon
Lunch and Readings by Natasha Trethewey, PhD (Associate Professor, English, Emory College; Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry)
Introduced by Claire Sterk, PhD (Senior Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Faculty Development; Charles Howard Candler Professor, Rollins School of Public Health)

1:30p
Break-Out Sessions (Click here for details.)
Track 2a: Women in the Professions: “Learning from Stories: Rising to Challenges in the Professions”
Track 2b: Women’s Health: “Cultural and Sociological Perspectives”
Track 2c: Women in Culture and Society: “Women’s Roles in Contemporary American Media: Case Studies in Compromise”

3:00p
Break

3:15p
Reflections and Next Steps
Jan Love, PhD (Dean of Candler School of Theology and Professor of Christianity and World Politics, Candler School of Theology)

Rosemary Magee, PhD (82PhD; Vice President and Secretary of the University)

Lisa Tedesco, PhD (Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Graduate Studies; Dean, Graduate School; Professor, Rollins School of Public Health and Division of Educational Studies, Emory College)

Claire Sterk, PhD (Senior Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Faculty Development; Charles Howard Candler Professor, Rollins School of Public Health)

4:15p
Closing Comments
James Wagner, PhD (President, Emory University)

4:25p
Final Note
Nadine Kaslow, PhD (Professor and Chief Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Grady Health System, School of Medicine; Symposium Chair; and Past-Chair, President’s Commission on the Status of Women)

4:30–5:30p
Reception and Theater Emory
Women in Wartime: Excerpts from Theater Emory’s upcoming production of The Trojan War. Janice Akers (Lecturer, Theater Studies) and Brenda Bynum (Emerita Faculty, Theater Studies) direct professional guest artists and students in this investigation into the human cost of war. Feminist playwright and actor Ellen McLaughlin’s free adaptations bring a strong woman’s perspective to ancient Greek texts. The Trojan War runs in repertory through October 14, 2007, at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.


Planning Committee

Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, Symposium Chair
Past Chair, President’s Commission on the Status of Women
President, Emory University Senate and Chair, Faculty Council
Special Assistant to the Provost
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine

Berky D. Abreu, BA
Academic Department Administrator, Women’s Studies, Emory College

Maryam Alavi, PhD
John and Lucy Cook Professor of Information Strategy
Vice Dean, Goizeuta Business School

Deepika Bahri, PhD
Director of Asian Studies
Associate Professor, English, Emory College

Leslie M. Brody, MA
Doctoral Candidate, Sociology, Graduate School

Susan M. Carini, MA (04G)
Executive Director, Emory Creative Group
Chair, President’s Commission on the Status of Women

Ali P. Crown, BA (85C)
Director, Center for Women at Emory
President, Phi Beta Kappa of Emory University

Alicia A. Franck, MDiv (88T)
Senior Associate Vice President for Principal Gifts, Development and Alumni Relations

Martha Albertson Fineman, JD
Robert W. Woodruff Professor
Director of the Feminism and Legal Theory Project, School of Law

Carla Freeman, PhD
Associate Professor, Anthropology and Women’s Studies, Emory College

Lynne Huffer, PhD
Professor and Chair, Women’s Studies, Emory College

Kim A. Loudermilk, PhD (97PhD)
Senior Associate Dean for Academic Planning, Emory College
Chair, Women in Leadership Committee, President’s Commission on the Status of Women

Mary Elizabeth Mullino Moore, PhD
Director, Women in Theology and Ministry Program, Candler School of Theology
Professor, Religion and Education, Candler School of Theology

Preetha Ram, PhD
Assistant Dean for Science, Office for Undergraduate Education, Emory College
Co-Director, Emory-Tibet Science Initiative
Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry

Claire E. Sterk, PhD
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Faculty Development
Charles Howard Candler Professor, Rollins School of Public Health

Ora Strickland, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

Lisa A. Tedesco, PhD
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Graduate Studies
Dean, Graduate School
Professor, Rollins School of Public Health and Division of Educational Studies, Emory College

Tiffany D. Worboy, MA
Doctoral Candidate, Women’s Studies, Graduate School

Sponsors and Cosponsors

Sponsors
Center for Women at Emory
Department of Women’s Studies
President’s Commission on the Status of Women

Cosponsors
Development and Alumni Relations
Emory Alumni Association
Emory Creative Group
Emory University Libraries
Feminism and Legal Theory Project
Goizeuta Business School
Graduate School
Hightower Fund (Emory College)
Institute for Comparative and International Studies
MARIAL Center
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
School of Medicine
South Asian Studies
Subvention Fund
Woodruff Health Sciences Center
Women and Children’s Center at the Rollins School of Public Health
Women in Theology and Ministry at Candler School of Theology
Work-Life Initiative