Mission Statement
The Luann Dummer Center for Women addresses the needs and aspirations of women. The center’s educational programs, activities, and resources are available to the students, faculty, and staff at St. Thomas. These services foster the intellectual, spiritual, and personal development of women and promote an open and diverse campus environment. By providing opportunities for self-development and academic enrichment, the LDCW assists women in achieving their highest potential. As the center fulfills this purpose, it contributes to the entire campus community.
- The center serves as a meeting place for women and allies where they can share their expertise and experience. Located in the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center, at the crossroads of campus activity, it offers a supportive environment for women on campus where issues of equity and diversity can be explored by the entire university community in a spirit of respect and understanding.
- In advocating for women, the LDCW acknowledges intersectional differences in women’s experience based on class, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and ability. The category “woman,” we further acknowledge, includes, but is not limited to, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, gender-non-binary, and/or transgender individuals who identify as feminists or support the advancement of women.
- The center collaborates with the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program and the University Advocates for Women and Equity (UAWE). The center’s resources and its physical presence on campus strengthen and focus interest in women’s programs and issues at St. Thomas.
- The center houses a variety of selected resources that support the study of women’s issues as well as the interests of individual women.
- The center sponsors the Luann Dummer Lecture Series, which features distinguished women speakers during March, Women’s History Month. The lecture series is open to the St. Thomas community and the public.
- The center sponsors a variety of programs that help women develop their intellectual ability and achieve their potential.