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.

West Virginia University in Morgantown received a two-year grant from the Elsevier Foundation to help women faculty members and postdoctoral students in STEM fields with childcare and elder care expenses when they need to travel to conferences or other events that would help them advance their careers. Leslie Tower, an associate professor in the School of Social Work who is directing the grant program, stated that “conference travel is vitally important because it provides visibility, networking opportunities, and social support.” Dr. Tower is a graduate of the University of Florida. She holds an MBA from the University of Miami and a master of social work degree and a Ph.D. from Barry University in Miami.

Spelman College, a liberal arts college for women in Atlanta, received a $250,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to establish a curatorial studies program in an effort to increase diversity in the field. Ten students will be chosen for the program. Those students who are selected will take courses in the subject, participate in internships, and receive mentoring from professionals in the field.

Mount Holyoke College and Smith College, two liberal arts educational institutions for women in western Massachusetts received a four-year, $2 million grant from the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company that will allow the colleges to hire five visiting professors and develop curriculum in the field of data science.