By Kayla Brown, Contributing Writer
Internships, research projects and career trips to major cities are now a greater financial possibility for female students at Susquehanna through the $3 million Women’s Leadership Fund.
Two years ago, alumnae and members of the Board of Trustees, Dawn Mueller ’68 and Signe Gates ’71, began a fundraising campaign for the Women’s Leadership Fund at Susquehanna.
The focus of the fund is to increase the ability for women at Susquehanna to advance professionally, while still at the undergraduate level as well as to share the importance of leveling the academic playing field for women.
After speaking with female faculty members in each department, Michaeline Shuman, assistant provost and director of career development, decided that the donations will be best used to cover internship costs: housing, transportation and other necessities, career treks to major cities, and research opportunities for female students.
Although Mueller is no stranger to philanthropy, as she funds a scholarship for women in the science department, she credits Janet Fowler Grey, Susquehanna alumna, with influencing this initiative.
In 2015, Grey pledged money to the university, thus creating the Grey Women’s Leadership Fund that assists women in the Sigmund Weis School of Business in attaining experience prior to graduation.
Mueller and Gates took the fund a step further in order to assist female students regardless of their area of study. In 2017, they agreed to pledge $1 for every $2 donated, up to $1 million; A goal that was not expected to be met for another three years.
However, in December 2018, the $3 million initiative was met, and the funds are currently being used; most notably for the Women’s Leadership Symposium in New York City, which was previously only accessible to business students.
The Women’s Leadership Symposium was attended last year by Melissa Komora, vice president for advancement, who noted the multitude of opportunities for female students: mock interviews, resume reviews, advice and success stories from SU alumnae and more.
Susquehanna’s female population, according to the university’s 2018-2019 fact sheet, outrank the male population 56 percent to 44 percent.
Despite the clear gender gap in enrollment that favors women at Susquehanna, only 5 percent of the largest 500 U.S. companies have a female CEO, according to Fortune Magazine.
Due to this, as well as the present pay gap in workplaces, the Board of Trustees felt it was imperative to create this fund to increase the success of women at Susquehanna.
“I feel like it is a great step in a very necessary direction. As women are becoming more empowered and gaining more confidence and equality throughout the nation, having a university that supports their female students and creates a fund for purely female leadership is amazing,” first-year Dakota Hornak said.
While the challenge pledge goal has been met, this fund is intended to keep growing.
“I have spoken with potential donors who are interested but weren’t able to commit initially,” Komora added.
“The push for this effort should never stop. All social issues such as this cannot be stopped once they are started… If anything, it is a sign to continue pushing even harder and to gain even more support,” Hornak said.