AAUW awards Campus Action Project Grant to ISU

The Idaho State University Janet C. Anderson Gender Resource Center has won a 2008-09 Campus Action Project grant from American Association of University Women (AAUW) for the Idaho State University Women’s Leadership Summit, which will target some of the educational barriers faced by women and girls from minority and low-income backgrounds.

Heidi Harold, assistant director for programming at the Anderson Center, said she is excited to have the chance to bring 75 high school girl leaders to campus in May for a weekend conference. The conference will give the girls an opportunity to learn more about leadership in their communities, college preparation and readiness, and women in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Each year, AAUW selects a project topic based on AAUW’s mission of advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The 2008-09 CAP teams will focus on the issues raised by AAUW’s 2008 research report, “Where the Girls Are: The Facts About Gender Equity in Education.” The report found that although most girls finish high school and women earn the majority of bachelor’s degrees, there are significant disparities in educational achievement and attainment among girls and women by race and family income.

In total, AAUW selected 11 teams from around the country to implement projects based on “Where the Girls Are.” The selected projects focus on preparing for college; promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) among women and girls; and encouraging young women to be leaders in their communities.

“AAUW is breaking through educational barriers so that all women and girls have a fair chance, and that is exactly what the CAP teams selected this year are doing in their communities. Our teams are reaching young women who may not have considered attending college and are helping them see it as a realistic possibility,” said Kate C. Farrar, director of AAUW’s Leadership and Training Institute.

One member from each CAP team will present the project at the June 4-6 AAUW/NASPA National Conference for College Women Student Leaders at the University of Maryland, College Park. The conference helps students connect with other students and successful women while honing their leadership skills.

Visit http://www.aauw.org/research/WhereGirlsAre.cfm for more information on the “Where the Girls Are” program. For more information about the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders, visit www.nccwsl.org.