Educational progress, by degrees

• Link to: Northwestern Now Story

The Women’s Center at Northwestern University has announced its 2019-20 programming theme “By Degrees: Gender. Education. And Progress.” Yolanda Flores Niemann will deliver the keynote address Thursday, Oct. 24, in Harris Hall located at 1881 Sheridan Road on the Evanston campus.

This year, the Women’s Center will focus on the ways in which educational progress for women and other gender minorities has been brought forth incrementally and only through tremendous effort and struggle.

The gender/education/progress theme of this year’s programming was selected for 2019-20 because the academic year marks 150 years of coeducation at Northwestern, and as means to address the subjects of access, inequity and the devaluation of women of color as producers of knowledge so central to the One Book selection for the year, “Hidden Figures.”

Drawing from her research on the effects of marginalization on women of color in academia, Flores Niemann will address the present state of gender equity in higher education. She is a co-editor of the anthology, “Presumed Incompetent: Intersections of Race and Class in Higher Education.” Originally published in 2012, this influential volume invited women navigating situations of marginalization and tokenization in their academic careers to tell their stories. The book will see a new edition in spring of 2020. Flores Niemann will discuss what has changed between the volumes and identify gains still to be made. 

The event is free and open to the public. A reception will be held at 4:30 p.m. in Harris 108, followed by the keynote address at 5 p.m. in Harris 107. The Northwestern Chicago campus will provide a livestream screening of the 5 p.m. keynote in 1400 Abbott Hall, 710 Lake Shore Drive on the Chicago campus.

Flores Niemann’s address and the year of programming ahead will explore questions including: What forms of knowledge and community are valued within higher education? Who receives credit for the production of knowledge? How can classrooms, departments and institutions actively counter misogyny and other intersecting forms of prejudice that threaten spaces of learning?

The schedule of programming and more information is available on the Women’s Center website.

Women’s Center 2019-20 program sponsors include the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, the Kreeger-Wolfe Fund, One Book One Northwestern, the Graduate School, the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion and the Latina and Latino Studies Program. 

150 Years of Women

Northwestern University marks the 150th anniversary of coeducation in 2019-20. To commemorate this historic anniversary, Northwestern will host events and programming across the University and around the world. Get to know the Northwestern women/womxn who led the struggle to open doors, creating greater access and opportunity for all who followed on the 150 Years of Women website.