The Center for Gender Studies at Radford University continues to carryout its mission. Since it was founded in 1990, the Center has had many successes in bringing teaching and scholarship on gender to the forefront on campus. Student-Faculty Research Conferences on Gender have attracted students and faculty within Radford University as well as from other regions, providing students from many disciplines with the opportunity to present their work, to meet students and faculty from other institutions, and to hear experts discuss some of the dramatic changes that have happened in gender research and with respect to women's and men's roles. These conferences, symposiums, along with other events sponsored by the Center, provide important opportunities for students to develop and exchange ideas and engage in serious dialogue about gender-related issues.

    The development and exchange of ideas through dialogues is a crucial step in problem-solving and many problems related to gender remain to be solved in our society. Educating and supporting today's students in these issues is, we believe, our best hope for challenging and re-designing practices and institutions so that, in the future ...

• young women will feel as confident as young men that leadership positions are possible for them
• fewer girls decide at an early age that they are "not suited" to do math
• fewer adolescent girls will suffer from depression and eating disorders
• women's concerns will be taken as seriously as men's in every area
• women and men will work together as respectful colleagues and equal partners

    For its work to go forward, the Center for Gender Studies now relies mainly on internal funding and grants. Donations furthering these efforts are always appreciated, but are no longer actively sought via explicit campaigns and other fund raising events. Nevertheless, the Center continues to provide scholarships for students to attend professional conferences, to publish and distribute research findings.

    Donations, large or small help us to maintain such scholarships and to support annual student-faculty forums on gender research at Radford University. If you are interested in helping to fund these activities, please contact Hilary Lips for details regarding contributions and other forms of support.

    Thank you, in advance, for your interest.

Sincerely,
                         Hilary Lips, Ph.D.
                                Former Director & Professor: Department of Psychology