Mission
The Distinguished Women Visitors (DWV) endowed fund was established in 1970 in honor of Elizabeth Nason, as her husband, John Nason, retired from the Presidency of Carleton. The fund will bring prominent professional women to campus in order to expose students to women who are successful in their careers.
The goal of the program is that the value of the visit “will lie not so much in the career information she presents, but in the opportunity for women students to ‘sit at the feet of’ a woman, to know her not for her accomplishments alone but for her personality, her spirit, her values, her beliefs — in sum, to know the person of achievement who is a woman.”
The mission of the committee is to advertise the opportunity to solicit funding proposals, review proposals and award funding to campus groups wishing to bring women speakers to campus. Please note that the DWV does not offer planning support for these visits. It is generally helpful to have an office, department, or student group to help with the many details of bringing a speaker to campus.
Membership
Faculty: One faculty member is appointed by the Faculty Affairs Committee to serve a three-year term.
Staff: Two staff members are appointed to this committee by the President. One staff member will chair the committee for a three-year term. The second staff member will also serve a three-year term and will alternate between the exempt and non-exempt staff.
Students: One student-at-large member serves this committee. The student is appointed by the Carleton Student Association in the fall for the upcoming year and will continue to serve in an ongoing position, if possible and appropriate.
Preferred Skills or Experience for Committee Members
A commitment to women’s issues and fostering individual women students’ growth is important. The chair should have some previous experience with running programs and/or funds.
Committee Work
The committee meets periodically and conducts some of its business by email. The chair determines the agenda based on the application process and proposals received. The committee shares annually its funding decisions with the President.