Grants or Gifts Relating to Women in Higher Education

Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.

Arizona State University received a two-year, $370,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice to conduct research on the effectiveness of domestic violence protection orders that prohibit contact between an abuser and victim. The research is under the direction of Alesha Durfee, an associate professor of women’s and gender studies. Dr. Durfee is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University and holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Washington.

Wellesley College, the highly rated liberal arts college in Massachusetts, received a two-year grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct research on donor-assisted conception and how people are using technology to discover the identities of their biological parents. The research is under the direction of Rosanna Hertz, the Class of 1919 Fiftieth Reunion Professor of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies at Wellesley College. Professor Hertz is a graduate of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

The School of Management at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, received a $1 million donation from Jane Brock-Wilson, managing director of Berkshire Partners and an alumna of the university. The funds will be used to provide scholarships for women undergraduate students at the School of Management.

Saint Catherine University, a private educational institution for women in St. Paul, Minnesota, received a four-year, $600,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment that will be used to fund the establishment of Encuentro: St. Catherine University Theology Institute. The institute will be held each summer and bring young women high school students to the Saint Catherine University campus for coursework in theology and spiritual practices.