As part of West Virginia University’s initiative to increase diversity on campus, the WVU ADVANCE Center is sponsoring a speaker series that will help attendees understand diversity’s importance, particularly as it relates to gender.

The first speaker in the “Why Diversity Matters” series will be Linda Sax, associate professor in the Higher Education and Organizational Change Division at the University of California, Los Angeles Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. She will present a public lecture on Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the Rhododendron Room of the Mountainlair at 4 p.m. A reception will follow.

Sax’s presentation, entitled “The Gender Gap in College: Implications for Understanding Today’s College Women and Men” is expected to cover current research on gender differences in college student development. She is particularly interested in the impacts of peers, faculty/student interactions, student involvement and institutional characteristics on student success.

Sax is the author of “The Gender Gap in College: Maximizing the Developmental Potential of Men and Women.” Her work is supportive of the goals of the ADVANCE Center and those of the broader University to foster an inclusive culture and increase student retention. In addition to her public lecture, Sax will meet with small groups of faculty, staff, and students to discuss women’s participation in the science, technology, engineering and math majors.

-WVU-

ab/09/01/11

CONTACT: Kasi Jackson, WVU ADVANCE
302-293-2339 ext. 1154, Kasi.Jackson@mail.wvu.edu

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