Mission and goals
Founded in 2000, the Women of Notre Dame initiative is an intergenerational outreach campaign bringing together students, alumnae, and faculty of the College of Arts and Letters.
In 2003, the university celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of co-education, yet our campus is often described as fostering a "chilly climate" for women students and faculty. The Women of Notre Dame Series seeks to remedy this problem in two ways:
1. Working with the Career Center to facilitate professional mentoring between alumnae and women students
2. Hosting a lecture series of distinguished alumnae, to share insights on career, education, and family issues
Past and Present
In March 2000, Julia Douthwaite and Lee Svete (Director, Career Center) sent a letter to all alumnae of the College of Arts and Letters describing the many accomplishments of women athletes, scholars, and artists on campus. As they noted, "women play a key role at Notre Dame as intellectual and campus leaders, teachers, and students [...] but we still have much to do."
The response was remarkable: More than 400 alumnae replied, offering to help as mentors, to provide professional guidance or internships, and to speak to campus groups.
Thanks to this generous support, the Career Center has added numerous new internships and contacts for students in industry, education, and government.
Our lecture series, now four years old, provides a unique forum for intergenerational discussion among women on campus. Lecturers speak candidly about the steps that led to their successful careers, and the difficult yet rewarding art of juggling work and family. The format varies from informal chats with students in dormitories to scholarly lectures for a university audience, and group discussions.
In April 2004, we hosted a round-table on "Women in the Workplace: On and Off the Career Track," that featured faculty experts in Law and Business as well as our Alumna speaker in Government. Having read the New York Times article on "The Opt-Out Revolution" (see Belkin in bibliography), students entered into heated debate, realizing that there are no easy answers to the crucial choices confronting professional women today.
Featured Speakers
Upcoming Speakers
Thursday, March 31 4:30pm 2005.
Dr. Lynn Davey, ND ‘86, B.A. Psychology. “Reframing Children's Issues to Move Public Policy” in 131 Decio.
Tuesday April 5 2005.
A mentoring luncheon with Ms. Heather Boehnen ND '00, B.A. Anthropology & Gender Studies. Ms Boehnen is General manager of the Marlboro Bar Program, Phillip Morris's national direct marketing campaign and is based in Chicago.
Past Speakers
Spring 2004: Ms Coleen Melman (ND '88, B.A., Economics), Former White House staffer and Aide to Senator Bill Bradley. Currently Program Analyst, US Department of Health and Human Services.
Spring 2003: Ms. Ingrid Schmidt (ND '90, B.A. English), Group Manager of Trend Forecasting, The Spiegel Group and freelance writer for the Chicago Tribune
Fall 2002: Dr. Eileen Connell (ND '88, B.A., English), Marketing Associate at W.W.W. Norton & Co.
Fall 2001: Hon. Joan Orie Melvin (ND '78, B.A., Economics), Judge of Superior Court of Pennslyvania.
Spring 2001: Mary Monnat (ND '80; B.A., American Studies), President and CEO, Tualatin Valley Centers, Oregon. Monnat's paper: Thoughts on Balancing Career and Family
Connections through internships
Internships are the best way for students to get the crucial on-the-job experience that will lead to later career success.
For information on sponsoring a "Women of Notre Dame" intern in your firm, please contact Lee Svete, Director, Career Center, at svete.1@nd.edu or tel. (574) 631-5200.
Recent students share their success stories and advice on internships, in letters to The Career Center:
Terri (ND '03), interned in the sports industry:
"I had an internship this summer which provided many great contacts, however, months after the internship was over I still had no job and no real prospects. By chance I sent an email and resume to one of the contacts whom I hadn't talked to since August [...]I went out to Massachusetts, had a great interview and got the job!
My lesson learned is that it pays to be patient and if you have a contact that you haven't talked to recently, send them your resume! It can't hurt!"
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Molly (ND '01), an aspiring policy analyst, writes that:
"A skill that has proved INTEGRAL to my successful job hunting:
waitressing! When I moved to DC in late July, with two suitcases and
no job, roommates or apartment, I quickly got a job at an expensive
steakhouse near the White House
through the connection of my boss at the Buffalo restaurant at which
I had been working. The job proved to be not only lucrative, but had
me waiting on such familiar faces as Hilary Clinton, Gerry Adams and
Secretary of Health Tommy Thompson.
My steakhouse job made an unpaid internship feasible, as my tips paid my bills...including the rent at my apartment in Adams Morgan, perhaps my favorite neighborhood of all times. I was able to juggle the steakhouse, my internship, my job search and plenty of fun!
For the sake of future ND alum job seekers in DC, I will impart the following wisdom I have picked up: listen to your gut, take risks, don't be afraid to change your tactics/strategies (and pursue many!), and use your ND connections."