Who We Are

"The Women's Center isn't just for Women, It's a Center for all students."
Quoted by Dr. Connie Dent (founder of the Women's Center).

History

In 1988, the Commission on Women in Higher Education, sponsored by the American Council on Education (ACE), developed a document outlining 15 ways in which universities could improve the status of women in higher education - a document unanimously approved by the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education that spring.

During the fall of 1988, Kutztown University's Women's Consortium, headed by Dr. Constance P. Dent, proposed that the American Council on Education's (ACE) recommendations could be met in part by the establishment of a Women's Center. The Center opened for the 1989-1990 academic year with Dr. Sandra McSwain as its first director. She was succeeded in 1991 by Dr. Ann T. Gundry, who formed the Women's Center Advisory Board the following year and added a full-time coordinator, Grace Hill, in 1999. Grace graduated from KU with a B.A. in Professional Writing and was one of the first students to graduate with a minor in Women's Studies. She earned her M.A. in Counseling in 1999, and was hired as the full-time Coordinator of the Center. Grace served as the Associate Director of the Women's Center (2008-2011) and Director (2011-2015).

In March of 2016, Christine Price became the Director of the Women's Center and the LGBTQ+ Resource Center (formerly the GLBTQ Resource Center). Christine has worked at KU since 2002, previously in the role as Assistant Director for Programming and Leadership Development within Housing and Residence Life.

2019 marked the KU Women's Center 30^th anniversary.

Location/Resources

The Women's Center at Kutztown University is a safe space for all members of the campus community. The Center is located in Boxwood House. We are open Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm.

The Women's Center maintains a library of books available for loan to the campus community and has also printed materials available on such topics as feminism, healthy relationships, and signs of sexual harassment. We also provide various free self-care items.

What We Do

We provide residence hall programming to freshman students on relationships and sexual violence. We collaborate with the Multicultural Center, The Health and Wellness Center, ACE (Association for Campus Events), Residence Life, and the Commission on the Status of Women in hosting regular semester events, some of which include keynote speakers. We also provide printed materials and resources by doing tabling on campus throughout the academic year, including tabling at new student orientation events.