Women whose leadership has made a difference at Iowa State University will be honored at a reception from 3:30-5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.
The reception will recognize the 12 faculty, staff and students selected for the 2017 Women Impacting ISU calendar, which is coordinated by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics with funding from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The 11th annual calendar will be officially unveiled and distributed during the reception, which is free and open to the public.
Students selected for the 2017 calendar are: Elizabeth Amado, senior in aerospace engineering with a certificate in leadership studies; Haley Strass, doctoral candidate in counseling psychology; and Britney Williams, senior in kinesiology and health.
Faculty selected are: Monic Behnken, assistant professor of sociology; Ann Gansemer-Topf, assistant professor of education; Lisa Larson; professor of psychology and ISU ADVANCE faculty fellow; and Jane Rongerude, assistant professor of community and regional planning.
Staff chosen for the calendar are: Pat Augustin, secretary II in the Department of Chemistry’s undergraduate student office; Anne Byrne, accountant for the Office of Biotechnology; Laura Doering, university registrar; Roberta Johnson, director of the Office of Student Financial Aid; and Margaret Van Ginkel, human sciences specialist and hotlines coordinator for the Extension and Outreach Center in Urbandale, Iowa.
“It was an honor to serve on the Women Impacting ISU calendar selection committee,” said Hunter Martin, senior in public relations and women’s studies from Ceresco, Nebraska, and one of two students on the selection committee for the 2017 calendar. “It was inspiring to read the nominations of so many incredible women who are working in a variety of ways to create a positive and accepting environment on campus.”
The Catt Center coordinates the calendar with funding provided by the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. Each year, a committee of students, faculty and staff – including past calendar honorees – evaluates the nomination packets and deliberates for four hours over the course of two meetings to select the final honorees. Two students, five faculty, seven professional and scientific employees, and one merit employee comprised the 15-member selection committee this year, representing a diverse cross-section of the Iowa State community.
According to Kristine Perkins, public relations and student programs coordinator for the Catt Center who oversees the project, 62 women were nominated for the 2017 Women Impacting ISU calendar. “Choosing the 12 women honored on the calendar is an incredibly difficult task, and we thank members of the selection committee for their time and consideration,” she said. “We encourage those who nominated a woman who was not selected for the 2017 calendar to consider submitting a nomination next year.”
The Catt Center will begin distributing 1,000 copies of the free calendar during the Jan. 11 reception. Following the event, calendars will be available around campus at these locations: Carrie Chapman Catt Center, 309 Catt Hall; the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center; the Student Answer Center, located on the ground floor of Beardshear Hall; in the wooden bins just outside the Book Store in the Memorial Union; the wooden bins in the entryway of the College of Design; and E102 Lagomarcino Hall.
The 2017 Women Impacting ISU calendar includes photographs of the three students, four faculty and five staff members who were chosen by the selection committee based on their achievements in service, teaching, research, administration and various other campus activities.
Visit the Catt Center’s website to see a list of past honorees.