In honor of women's history month, Seton Hall will host its annual Women's Conference honoring the accomplishments of women and granting the Woman of the Year Award along with the "On the Shoulders We Stand" award on March 26 in the Main Lounge.
This Women's Conference, which has been held at the university since 1993, will be issuing the theme "Writing Women back into History," Rosario Reyes, a co-chair for the Women's Conference said.
The keynote speaker will be Tracy Gottlieb, associate provost and dean of freshman studies as well as a founder of the Women's Conference.
"She [Gottlieb] is very famous and very inspirational," said Reyes.
Reyes said the conference will consist of a brunch, a keynote address and several workshops that coincide with the National Women's History Month theme.
According to Reyes, there are four co-chairs who are in charge of organizing the event: Bernadette Manno, an associate dean of freshmen studies; Pamela Dungee, the associate director of integrated marketing; Kathleen Keegan, a university nurse; and Reyes herself.
Each co-chair calls for volunteers to help with various subcommittees so everyone can be involved in the planning of the conference.
The Woman of the Year Award is given to a Seton Hall University employee each year. Nominees for the award are submitted through an online form and must also have a letter of recommendation.
The woman that receives the award is one who has "made significant contributions to the success of women at the University," according to a Seton Hall broadcast e-mail regarding the award.
According to Sister Anita Talar, who is a member of the Woman of the Year Award committee, there are about 20-25 nominees each year. However, she also said it is too soon this year to see how many women have been nominated.
An award is also given to a female graduate or undergraduate student who has demonstrated a "commitment to serving the needs of women and being strong leaders in the community," according to the Seton Hall broadcast e-mail. This award is presented at the Women's Appreciation Dinner.
Additionally, the Women's Conference hosts nine different workshops aligned with the theme of the conference, according to a Seton Hall Web site for the conference. This year's programs include "Healthcare Concerns for Women after Menopause," "Goddess Athena: A Gateway to Self," and "The Poetry of her Womanhood."
The workshops will be held in the Arts and Sciences building.
There are about 150-190 attendees each year, Reyes said. These attendees are composed of faculty, students and members of the surrounding community.
Although the attendees are mostly female, Reyes said there is a good constituency of men.
"It is hard to move forward on women's issues if men are not aware of them," Reyes said. "I would like people to take more time to recognize women leaders. We have so many women leaders, it's amazing."
Jessica Sutcliffe can be reached at jessica.sutcliffe@student.shu.edu.
