Dear Gender and Women’s Studies and LGBTQ+ Studies Community:
First of all, a heartfelt congratulations to everyone graduating with a GWS major or an LGBTQ+ Studies or GWS certificate! I had the chance to talk with graduating students at our closing event of the semester, and I was delighted to hear about what their experience in GWS has meant to them. Many also told me about how excited they were to bring the knowledge they gained in our classrooms into the next phase of their lives. We can’t wait to see where you land next!
It has been a very busy year for GWS. In the fall we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the department with a big party at the Monona Terrace. Our instructors have continued to offer a wide array of classes that address the important ways that gender and sexuality impact all our lives. The Center for Research on Gender and Women has brought us a rich program of speakers and events, including the De Cleene Student Leadership Series, which is “dedicated to leadership development, research, and advocacy on behalf of gender equity, as well as to the promotion of leadership locally, nationally and globally.” And the Women’s and Gender Studies Consortium hosted their fantastic annual conference at the Memorial Union during the first week of April, where UW-Madison played host to students and faculty from women’s and gender studies departments from across Wisconsin and surrounding states.
Finally, we are currently in the process of packing up our offices in preparation for a big move to Dorothy and Irving Levy Hall! We will look forward to celebrating with all of you on September 17th at the official ribbon-cutting ceremony in Levy Hall. We will share more details about that ceremony when they become available.
In the meantime, congratulations to our graduates and happy summer to all!
Nick Syrett, GWS Chair