Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is celebrating Women’s History Month the remainder of March with a variety of public events on its Westville and Hammond campuses.
The remaining month’s events center on the theme, “Living and Working in a Political World.” Events are free and open to the public, unless noted otherwise.
Women of Character Courage & Commitment – March 27 and 28
The Office of Student Life will have displays from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Student Union & Library concourse at the Hammond Campus and the Library-Student-Faculty Building, Room 144 at the Westville Campus to highlight women past and present who have shown character and courage in their lives, their work and whose efforts have promoted social, political and economic equality of the sexes. These displays will offer interactive elements to engage students in trivia questions and other activities including facts, statistics and quotes, as well as providing more information about these influential women.
Neustrom, a resident of Woodridge, Illinois earned her G.E.D. at age 48 and continued her education to eventually earn her doctorate in education. She built a career in banking, rising from an entry level position to assistant vice president. Today, she is an adjunct professor of business and writing, and is a speaker, panelist and workshop facilitator for universities, conferences and organizations.
The events are sponsored by the Career Center and Counseling Center.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Leadership Lessons – March 27
Nine outstanding Purdue Northwest alumnae share their experiences and wisdom about what it takes to be a successful woman in today’s competitive workplace. The discussion will be based on Sallie Krawcheck’s book, “Own It.”
The panel discussion will take place from Noon to 1:30 p.m. in the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex, Great Hall at Westville and from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Student Union & Library, Room with a View (Room 150D) at Hammond.
The panel consists of: Vanessa Allen, president and CEO of the Urban League of Northwest Indiana; Lisa Daugherty, president and CEO of the Lake Area United Way; Katie Eaton, economic development manager with the Economic Development Corporation of Michigan City; Patricia Gyure, director, Corporate Compliance with NiSource Inc.; Kristin Jurzak, president of Spark Marketing; Jessica Lilley, associate veterinarian with Davis Veterinary Service, P.C.; Dawn McIver, president of MicroWorks, Inc.; Kimberly Patton, human resources consultant with the University of Notre Dame and the Honorable Diane Kavadias Schneider, senior judge of the Lake County Superior Court.
This is sponsored by the College of Business and the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences.
Literary Celebration – March 28
The First Friday Wordsmiths will celebrate and discuss the significant contributions that women writers have made and continue to make to the literary world. This event will give the male and female writers at PNW an opportunity to share their pieces about the empowerment of women through a writing contest and open mic from 6 to 8 pm in the Student Union & Library, Room 321 at the Hammond Campus.
Writers can submit a piece of writing – fiction, nonfiction, or poetry that is no more than 1,500 words, by Saturday, Mar. 25 [email protected]. The contest winners will read and discuss their entries.
College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences Lecture Series– March 30
Melissa E. Sanchez, associate professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, will present “Ain’t I a Ladie?: Race, Sexuality, and Early Modern Women Writers” at 4:30 p.m. in the Student Union & Library, Room with a View (Room 150D) at the Hammond Campus.
She will discuss Aemilia Lanyer as an early feminist icon, confronting the dissonance between her calls for women’s equality to men and her assertions of racial, ethnic, religious, and moral hierarchy. She proposes moving beyond clearly defined identity politics to a more difficult, even uncomfortable, pursuit for social justice more generally.