Program Schedule

Showcase Oregon 2016: “Race, Gender, Faith and Justice: Empowering Women, Transforming Our World”

March 7th, 2016 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | Ford Alumni Center

7:45 - 8:00 a.m.

Continental Breakfast (coffee, water, juice, yogurt, fruit & pastries)

8:00 a.m.

Welcome by Provost Scott Coltrane

8:15 a.m.

Conference Overview by Vice President Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh

8:30 a.m.

“Movement Makers” – Presentations by Students

During the 1960s, students played an important role in facilitating campus activism in ways that transformed higher education and our society at large. Learn from the experiences, insights and wisdom of students at the UO, Lane Community College, and area high schools about their activism and how they are changing institutions and the world around them.

Chair: EnJolí S. H. Hemphill-Alexander, Residence Life Coordinator, University Housing

Demiliza Saramosing
Akilah Powell
Anna Hoffer
Ashley Jackson
Valeria Olguin

10:00 a.m.

Morning Concurrent Sessions

 

Business Track: “From Invisible to Invincible: Pushing Historical Boundaries in Business, Community, and Education”

With today’s women serving as Governors, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and as college presidents, it’s easy to forget that women of previous generations were basically invisible in the halls of power. What are the stories of women, who laid the foundations for today’s successes? What strategies and tactics did they employ for moving from invisibility into businesses and education? How should their activism, courage and innovation re-inspire us today? 

Chair: Jim Terborg, Ph.D., Interim Dean, Lundquist College of Business

  • Jean Tate: Perspectives as Business Owner
  • Etta Brew: Perspectives from Educational Leadership
  • Ginevra Ralph: Director of Education at the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts and University of Oregon Board of Trustees Member
  • Bridget Kyerematen-Darko:  Perspectives as Executive Director of Aid to Artisans 

 

Academic Track: “Play to Win: Mastering Politics and Transforming The Academy”  

Leadership in the Academy is not for the faint of heart. It takes an understanding of culture, strategy, keen intellect and a rock-solid will to succeed. From playing a leadership role as one of the first female department heads and establishing nationally-renowned archives in ethnomusicology, to archiving and raising money for Sex Research, to developing blueprints for Sexual Harassment policies in West African universities to masterminding the processes for accreditation, these women have laid the framework for the transformation of the Academy. They will share their respective techniques for organizational transformation and, in the process, offer strategies to help interested members of the audience to shape their own. 

Chair: Doug Blandy, Ph.D., Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, University of Oregon

  • President Belle Wheelan: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, USA
  • Liana Zhou: Archivist, Director of Library Archives, Kinsey Institute, Indiana University-Bloomington, USA.
  • Portia Maultsby: Laura Bolten Professor Emerita, Indiana University-Bloomington Campus, USA.
  • Akosua Adomako Ampofo: Professor, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana (currently Fulbright Scholar at Concordia University, Irvine, CA., USA).

Co-sponsored by Academic Affairs

 

Community Track: “Women of Power: Re-envisioning Activism ”

Frederick Douglass once said: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Consequently, behind every wave of justice is a struggle that is often engineered by women. Meet women whose activism and advocacy are redefining what justice looks like at home, in the workplace and in the lives of our children. 

Chair: Matt Roberts, Senior Director for Community Relations

  • Shelia Stickel: Advocacy Group, Seattle, Washington
  • Maria Chavez-Haroldson: Director, Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations, Oregon Youth Authority
  • Diana Pei Wu: Executive Director, Portland Jobs With Justice
  • Patti Buss: One Hope, Eugene, Oregon

 12:00-2:00 p.m.

Teach-in on the Movement for Black Lives with Dr. Brittney Cooper

Coined by Alicia Garza, as a Twitter hashtag in 2012, the phrase “Black Lives Matter” originally responded to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin. It was motivated by the sentiment that all other lives seem to matter more than Black lives. Over the past three years, “Black Lives Matter” has provided a unifying thread for protestors addressing a pattern of violence against the Black community. In this teach-in event, Professor Brittney Cooper, Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Africana Studies, Rutgers University and Co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective, Rutgers University, will discuss the focus of these issues on college campuses and offer perspectives on the intersection of race and gender in the movement for Black Lives.

Co-sponsored by the Division of Student Life

2:15 p.m.

Break

2:30 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

 

Academic Track: “Women of Power, Recasting K-12 Educational Systems”  

Our educational systems must provide all children with an opportunity to achieve their potential. In today’s high-stakes and low resource environment, it takes ingenuity and innovation to ensure equity and fair-play for our children, whose future we must prepare to navigate. Hear from four women, whose work in the public schools ensures that all children are well educated so that they can have the skills needed to change their own lives and the world around them. 

Chair: Anselmo Villanueva, Ph.D., Chairperson, Board of Directors, Lane Education Service District (ESD)

  • Diane Hanks: Retired Principal, Bloomington Public Schools 
  • Shadin Garcia: Chief Education Office, Salem, Oregon 
  • Charlene Williams: Senior Director, Roosevelt Cluster, Portland, Oregon
  • Kathleen Jonathan: Community School Outreach Coordinator, Salem-Keizer Public Schools​

Co-sponsored by College of Education

 

Faith Track: “Muslim Women in Transnational Feminism: Dismantling Stereotypes and Building New Realities

What are the prevailing stereotypes of feminism and Islam? How do they conflict with reality?  Be prepared to listen to some selected experts in their respective fields.

Chair: Andrew Riley, Ph.D., Visiting Professor, Religious Studies

  • Irum Shiekh: Visiting Professor, Ethnic Studies
  • Faten Arfaoui: Instructor, Religious Studies
  • Hadeel Abu Hmeid: Student, Nonprofit Management Program
  • Selam Wako: Prevention Science Program, College of Education

 

Community Track: “Empowering Women and Vulnerable Societies”

What does it mean to be empowered and what difference does that empowerment make for the people in vulnerable societies? The women on this panel turn the vulnerability into sites for innovation and creativity in ways that have led to transformative change. Hear their stories, share your own as a preface to the activation of your own respective transformations. 

Chair: Lamia Karim, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Anthropology

  • Peyi Soyinka-Airewele: Professor of Political Science, Ithaca College, Ithaca, USA.
  • Nancy Nti-Asare: Attorney, U.S. Department of State 
  • Susan Sygall: Founder, Mobility International-USA
  • Bassey Irele: Librarian, Sub-Saharan Africa, Harvard University

4:00 p.m.

“Movement Makers” Poster Session

UO students are often at the forefront of creating transformative change on campus and in the community. Join us for an afternoon poster session to learn from students at the UO, Lane Community College, and area high schools who are putting equity and inclusion into practice through research, involvement with student organizations and conferences, service learning, advocacy, faith practice, and community engagement. 

4:30 p.m.

Closing Session and Reception: Call to Action by President Belle Wheelan