^{Association for Faculty Women} _{Faculty, Staff}

Welcome to AFW

November 30, 2020 elizabeth.weybright

Founded in 1975, Washington State University’s Association for Faculty Women is a broadly inclusive group that promotes successful and satisfying careers for women and other marginalized genders by creating opportunities for members to connect in environments that are welcoming, supportive, and empowering.

AFW supports camaraderie, advocacy and professional growth across the WSU system. We are funded and run by our members, which include faculty, staff and graduate students across all WSU campuses. To join us or renew your membership, please see the membership page. Each year, AFW organizes events and awards to foster collaboration and recognize excellence.

The purpose of AFW is:

To provide a means for faculty women to share mutual interests, activities, and concerns, particularly as they relate to the academic responsibilities of teaching, research, and service at WSU.
To provide a structure through which issues that impact faculty women, as an academic group, are considered and addressed, particularly by providing input and recommendations to bodies including the University Administration, the Commission on the Status of Women, the WSU Faculty Senate, and university committees.
To further the professional growth of faculty women through professional programs, state and national speakers, and consultants.

Jo Washburn and Mary Wack Receive 2020 Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award

November 30, 2020 elizabeth.weybright

This year AFW honored two recipients of the AFW’s Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award: Jo Washburn and Mary Wack. Both Jo and Mary serve as role models and exemplars of effective leadership. They each have made long-lasting impacts at WSU for the betterment of all.

Photo of Jo Washburn taken in 1975 for a short write-up about Jo being the Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics director.

Jo Washburn was a champion for gender equity in athletics. She was part of the group that sued WSU (and won) in 1979 to ensure that women athletes received equal resources promised under state and federal law. Jo, a founding AFW member and WSU Athletics Hall of Fame member, passed away in September. We posthumously award Jo Washburn with the Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award with deep gratitude for her bravery, tenacity, and advocacy that paved the road for so many within and outside of WSU.

We also recognize Mary Wack with the Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award for her deep and sustained commitment to the advancement of women at WSU. In her service as the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, we have all benefited from Mary’s steady and deeply thoughtful leadership. As several of her nominators shared, her impact on undergraduate education at WSU is profound and far reaching. By example and guidance, Mary has steered us all during the COVID-19 pandemic to center both excellence and compassion in our instruction. Finally, Mary dedicates significant efforts mentoring women in leadership at WSU providing them advice, solutions, key information, and regular collegial encouragement.

AFW will host a virtual ceremony honoring both Jo Washburn and Mary Wack on December 9th, 2020 at 12:00pm. If you wish to join us, then please email cmcooper@wsu.edu for the Zoom connection information or you can register for the event here: https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7WLD64B5QdirtT7. The Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award was established in 2000 to show AFW’s appreciation to President Emeritus Smith for his leadership in advancing the role of women at WSU.

Award Nominations

November 19, 2020 elizabeth.weybright

Graduate Student Awards Nominations

What is the nomination process?

Nominators: Mentors or faculty who work closely with the student.
Letters of support: Three letters of support are required, one of which is from the nominating faculty member.
To nominate a student:
1. Download the Nomination Form and review criteria for specific awards. The Overview page provides additional background and the focus of each award, to help guide your nomination packets.
2. Compile one completed nomination form (nominee and nominating faculty member together), all letters of support (three total), and any other supporting materials as one single PDF.
3. The nominator should send the nomination electronically from a WSU email in a single pdf (including supporting letters) by 5:00 pm on Monday, February 26 to Erin Hvizdak (erin.hvizdak@wsu.edu).
2024 Nomination Form: Download here

Who is eligible?

Full- and part-time students in good standing are eligible.
- The Harriett B. Rigas Award
  - Doctoral and Professional students graduating in Fall 2023 or Spring or Summer 2024
- The AFW Founders’ Award
  - Masters students graduating in Fall 2023 or Spring or Summer 2024
- The Karen DePauw Leadership Award
  - PhD and Ed.D. candidates in good standing who have successfully passed preliminary examination and have a GPA of at least 3.5.
Students may be nominated for only one of these awards in each cycle.
Nominations are accepted up until the deadline
For more specific information, please see the Overview page

When is the award announced?

Awardees will be notified in mid-March and will receive their award virtually at a special recognition ceremony in April.

Questions?

Please address questions to Erin Hvizdak (erin.hvizdak@wsu.edu).

Thank you for supporting WSU Graduate students and making known their excellence!

News and Notes

May 15, 2014 Clint Young