Women's Leadership Conference Set for March 17
3/3/2011
Ferrum, Va. (March 3, 2011) – Now in its fourteenth year, the Ferrum College Women’s Leadership Conference is scheduled for Thursday, March 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The 2011 theme is “Empowering Self and Others: Building Social Networks.”
“This event was started fourteen years ago in order to bring awareness to women’s issues on campus,” said Conference Coordinator Nell Fredericksen.
Keynote speaker is Katherine Broendel, who currently serves as acting senior media relations and marketing associate for the American Association of University Women. The AAUW is a professional network that advocates social, academic, and professional equity for girls and women. Broendel will speak at 7:00 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room of Franklin Hall.
The conference’s opening speaker will be Beth Macy, families beat reporter for The Roanoke Times. Macy recently returned to the newspaper after a year as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard. The Nieman program has brought over 1300 journalists at mid-career from 90 countries to Harvard for a year of intensive study. Macy will speak at 9:30 a.m. in the Panther’s Den of Franklin Hall.
The alumna speaker for the 14th annual conference is Carrie Smith Schmidt ‘82, who is director of the Rural Utility and Community Facility Programs for US Department of Agriculture Rural Development. Schmidt will speak in the Panther’s Den of Franklin Hall at 11 a.m.
The conference luncheon at 12:30 will feature a St. Patrick’s Day menu, and the cast from Ferrum’s upcoming performance of “Aida” will provide entertainment. Those who register for the conference by March 11 may attend the luncheon free.
Two conference sessions will be offered in the afternoon, both in the Panther’s Den of Franklin Hall. “Intergenerational Impacts of Social Networks” at 2 p.m. will includes Ferrum College students and Public Relations Director John Carlin discussing the intergenerational impacts of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The panel will also consider the negative aspects of social networking.
Panelists in the second group will discuss “Art, Literature and Music: Creative Networks in Southwest Virginia” at 3:15 p.m. The panel will focus on both the development and function of several key networks for artists, musicians, and writers in Southwest Virginia.
In conjunction with the conference, the Smith Mountain Branch of the American Association of University of Women sponsors an annual tea honoring female student leaders at Ferrum College. The tea is the only conference event closed to the general public.
Registration for the 14th annual Women’s Leadership Conference is available at http://www.ferrum.edu/wlc. Attendees are strongly encouraged to register by March 11.
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