SUU Women’s Network Celebrates International Women’s Day
Published: March 08, 2021 | Author: Southern Utah University | Read Time: 4 minutes
Southern Utah University Women’s Network is celebrating International Women’s Day with a week-long event centered around and created by the women of the SUU and Cedar City communities. The Women’s Network kicked off the week on Monday, March 8 with a social gathering and poster session in the Sharwan Smith Student Center.
"International Women’s Day has always been important for me but this year is incredibly special,” said Madalyn Swanson, SUUWN president. “I love being able to celebrate those women who have worked so hard to make it possible for me to be where I am today and to celebrate being a woman with people across the world. This year, collaborating with so many campus partners really is the embodiment of IWD. Together we are stronger and can do anything! Celebrating this special day with others, from different perspectives, and backgrounds is the perfect way to spend IWD."
Around the world, International Women's Day is celebrated every year on March 8. This year's theme is "Choose to Challenge":
A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day. We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. From challenge comes change, so let's all choose to challenge.
"International Women's Day is about collaborating and celebrating all women across the globe,” said Jennifer Leard, SUUWN welcoming and social committee chair. “It is important to recognize the amazing things that all women have accomplished as well as showing appreciation for our male allies."
This year, SUUWN collaborated with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service, and Women & Gender Studies to create a week-long celebration for International Women's Day. SUU and the surrounding community is filled with amazing women and men who have played a role in empowering women, raising awareness for equality, advocating for accelerated gender parity, and/or fundraise for female-focused charities.
This week’s events include the following:
Southern Utah University Women’s Network, an affiliate of the Utah Women in Higher Education Network (UWHEN), was established in the Fall of 2014 as a mechanism of professional support for women across campus. SUUWN works to create an educational, professional, and political climate in which women’s voices and values are heard and included in efforts to shape the institutional and public agenda of higher education.