Women's Mission
Founded in 1884 as the first public college for women in the United States, The W is a tradition-rich university that maintains its historic focus on academic and leadership development for women.
Campus Initiatives
Grounded in the university’s rich history of academic and leadership development for women, the Women’s College empowers helping them make sense of the dynamics that shape women's lives and professional opportunities; providing them with a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community of students, faculty, and alums; showcasing women's excellence and leadership in the past and present; and giving them skills and experiences to help them forge their own paths and become transformational leaders in their professions and communities.
Home of the NEW Leadership MS summer institute, the Golden Girls Oral History Project, and the Martha Swain Speaker Series, the Center offers a range of programming devoted to women's leadership and professional development.
A unique international festival highlighting the work of women musicians and composers, this annual event contributes to programming diversity in concert halls around the world and is making progress toward a future in which works by women are fully represented within the classical music performance canon.
Intersections of Gender and Place is a biennial exhibition that examines various issues of gender and also the impact of this region on the artist’s work. The parameters are purposefully vague so that the invited artists may address the theme through their own interpretations. The result is lively ‘conversation’ about gender in the South.
The Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium is held each October in honor of The W's most famous alumna. A diverse group of Southern writers and scholars are invited to present their work. A highlight of the symposium is the announcement of the Eudora Welty Prize for an unpublished book of scholarship.
In honor of Sonia Kovalevsky, an outstanding 19th century mathematician and the first woman to receive a doctoral degree in mathematics, this one-day event for high school girls and their teachers (male or female) is designed to encourage young women to continue their study of mathematics and prepare for possible careers in mathematics-related fields.
Academic Programs
Using an interdisciplinary approach, students in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies critically examine the social construction of gender and the status of women in diverse cultural contexts and time periods. The program emphasizes both scholarly exploration and the application of knowledge to practical women's issues.
Using an interdisciplinary approach, students in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies critically examine the social construction of gender and the status of women in diverse cultural contexts and time periods. The program emphasizes both scholarly exploration and the application of knowledge to practical women's issues.
