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.

Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, received a grant from the National Science Foundation for programs aimed at increasing the number of women in leadership positions in STEM fields. The program will support the university’s effort in the Mentor Associate Professors WISEly initiative.

Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, received a $1.5 million donation from the estate of the late Marilyn Jacox that will be used to fund a scholarship program for women in mathematics and the sciences. Dr. Jacox earned a Ph.D. at Cornell in 1956 and then applied for teaching positions at 75 colleges and universities. She only received interest from women’s colleges, so instead went to work for what is now the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond has been awarded a four-year, $4.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for research on placenta function in pregnant women and to develop a noninvasive method for the early detection of placental disorders.

Mills College, the liberals arts educational institution for women in Oakland, California, received a $150,000 grant from the Thomas J. Long Foundation to provide financial support for the college’s Educating for Democracy in the Digital Age program. The initiative supports educational programs in Oakland’s public schools to encourage students to become involved in their communities.