Women's Enrichment Fund

Helping Humboldt State University students, staff and faculty in their collective educational concerns.

The HSU Women Enrichment Fund is a designated fund within HSU for making grants to students, staff and faculty who are working to promote the collective educational concerns of girls and women. (20% of the contributions raised each year are used to fund grants during the ensuing year and 80% builds the fund.) The Women's Enrichment Fund is made possible through charitable support.

Our History

At the 1990 Fall HSU Women's Retreat, a group of women conceived of a fund to help campus women with their collective intellectual concerns. From a small beginning, with such founding mothers as Kathryn Corbett, Kathleen Preston, Martha Johansen, Leela Zion and Karen Foss, the Fund was born. The Fund" was officially launched on March 8, 1991 (International Women's Day) and continues to grow and to support women's projects.

Special fundraisers for the Fund have included a filmmaker's presentation of her films, a local Women's Art auction, "Music Springs Forth," a music festival, and a Children’s Zines project (informally produced magazines). The Fund has also benefited from anonymous benefactors through the HSU Office of University Advancement.

Our fundraiser this year is a Mother’s Day Card Campaign. Each contribution of $20 will sponsor a card that we will send to your mother or other maternal figure, or to one of the “mothers” of the Women’s Enrichment Fund: Kathryn Corbett, Karen Foss, Martha Johansen, Kathleen Preston, or Leela Zion. Each additional $20 contribution will sponsor another card so that you may send as many cards as there are mothers to honor in your life.

A governing board, consisting of students, staff, faculty, emeritae, alumnus, and an "at large" member from the community, selects worthy projects. An annual financial report is available upon request.

How can I support the Women's Enrichment Fund?

HSU faculty and staff can contribute through the Humboldt First annual appeal, designating the Women's Enrichment Fund for your gift:
Women's Enrichment Fund' c/o Humboldt First University
Advancement Humboldt State University Arcata, CA 95521-8299

For more information on making a gift:
Office of University Advancement
(707) 826-5 101
UnivAdvancement@humboldt.edu

2002-2003 Awards

In 2002-2003 the WEF provided the following awards to HSU faculty, staff, and students:

• Heather Ault, undergraduate student in Women’s Studies, to create a Feminist Flash Cards internet resource.

• Susan Bennett, Director of Redwood Area Writing, for a scholarship for a low income girl for the young Writers Camp of the Redwood Writing Project.

• Talena Dehmel, undergraduate student, for science materials for Marine Day and Expanding Your Horizons workshop.

• Charity Grella, graduate student in Theatre, Film, & Dance, for supplies for the production of the film titled, “Culture, Conformity, and Clothing.”

• Kathleen Hill, Assistant Professor of Native American Studies, to bring guest speakers for the workshop titled, “Native Women: Myth and Reality.”

• Carol Lasko, Professor of Chemistry, for expenses related to the Exanding Your Horizons Conference.

• Armeda Reitzel, Professor of Communication, to help finance a service learning project for History Day in conjunction with an Elementary School classroom.

• Eric Rofes, Assistant Professor of Education, to help bring Dorothy Allison as keynote speaker for the North Coast Education Summit.

• Jennifer Taylor, undergraduate student in Psychology, to help pay for undergraduate research on the link between violence, aggression, and videogames.

• Mary Virnoche, Assistant Professor of Sociology, to help bring Carol Andreas for a campus talk.

How can I apply?

A call for project proposals is distributed campus-wide in the fall semester. Awards are announced in December.

To receive an application, contact:

Kim Berry, Ph.D.
Women's Studies Program
Humboldt State University
#1 Harpst Street
Arcata, CA 95521-8299

Phone: (707) 826-4925
Email: kb14@humboldt.edu