NEWS RELEASE

News Bureau . Schofield Hall 201 . Eau Claire, WI 54702
phone: (715) 836-4741
fax: (715) 836-2900

EAU CLAIRE — Wisconsin Women in Higher Education Leadership will hold their annual fall conference at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Thursday and Friday, Oct. 14-15. More than 100 faculty members and administrators from around the state will gather to discuss topics of interest to women in higher education.

The conference features two nationally recognized keynote speakers: Dr. Marilyn Kern-Foxworth, CEO of Kern-Foxworth LLC, a marketing communications firm, and Dr. Virginia Valian, distinguished professor of psychology and linguistics, Hunter College and City University of New York.

Kern-Foxworth's address, "Women Leaders: Changing and Transforming the World, One Woman at a Time," will be presented from 1 to 2:15 p.m. Thursday in the Tamarack Room of Davies Center. It will focus on transforming media images of women in our society into more positive models. Valian will speak from 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. Friday and will address issues of gender equity and how these impact aspiring women leaders.

Other workshop topics include women in science, mathematics and technology; cross-cultural exchanges among women in higher education; gender issues in the college classroom; and career mapping and advancement in academia.

WWHEL provides opportunities for networking, information sharing and support for women in higher education leadership and encourages women faculty and staff to pursue leadership positions at their institutions. Specifically, WWHEL supports women in developing special skills, connecting with colleagues, identifying career development contacts, and accessing state and national resources.

The UW-Eau Claire administration will sponsor several faculty members' and administrators' participation in the event. In addition, the UW-Eau Claire Foundation will provide funding for several parts of the conference, including a lunch for area middle and high school girls who have been invited to attend Kern-Foxworth's keynote address.

For more information, contact Libby Thurston, UW-Eau Claire Outreach Specialist, at (715) 836-3636, or CE@uwec.edu. Information and online registration are also available on the Web.

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Judy Berthiaume, Director
UW-Eau Claire News Bureau
Schofield 201
(715) 836-4741
newsbur@uwec.edu

Updated: October 6, 2004