Date: Mar 03, 2009

Hofstra Celebrates Women’s "Herstory" Month

A Gender Analysis of Leadership, The Feminine Musique, Erin Vilardi, Sacajawea Discussion, and Intimate Encounters Poetry Performance

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – Hofstra University’s Women’s “Herstory” Month, devoted to honoring women and their impact in the world, will include throughout the month “What if Women Ruled the World?” a gender analysis of leadership; a musical performance of “The Feminine Musique”; a keynote address by Erin Vilardi, national program director of The White House Project;  a discussion of “Sacajawea: The Most Honored Woman in America”; and a poetry performance, “Women Poets in Intimate Encounters”.

"A central theme for Women's Herstory Month is What if Women Ruled the World and this is a concept that has afforded us the opportunity to look at issues of gender inequality in the world today and issues of female leadership through some of the programs we have on deck for the Month,” said Director of Multicultural & International Student Programs Ryan Greene.

Erin Vilardi, the keynote speaker for Women’s Herstory Month, oversees The White House Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors up to the U.S. presidency. She will speak at the opening reception for Women’s “Herstory” Month on March 5, 2009 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. the Lowenfeld Exhibition Hall, 10th floor, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, South Campus.

 In her role as program director, Ms. Vilardi oversees the award-winning Vote, Run, Lead training program that provides women across the U.S. with the skills and confidence to run for office. She helped launch this political leadership training at WHP in 2004, and has since trained over 6,000 women to lead a political life.

The opening reception is part of Define '09: New Challenges, New Solutions, a year-long series of programs designed to examine the new presidential administration, its policies and initiatives, the challenges we currently face and ways of addressing our country's most pressing issues.

For a full list of Women’s History Month events with dates and times please visit the website at http://www.hofstra.edu/StudentAffairs/omisp/index.html or call The Office of Multicultural and International Student Programs at 516-463-6796.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from more than 145 undergraduate and more than 160 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services;  and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.