President's Council of Cornell Women has meeting here this weekend

By Linda Grace-Kobas

Members of the President's Council of Cornell Women will focus on "Cornell Today: Issues and Actions" at the alumnae group's spring meeting on campus this weekend.

The three-day conference, March 27 to 29, will offer networking and mentoring opportunities for students. PCCW members will hear about key issues facing Cornell from deans and members of the university administration and will host a reception for women faculty and graduate students who are recipients of PCCW's research grant program.

Highlights of the conference:

• A panel discussion with students from the Women's Resource Center, Wari House and Alpha Kappa Delta Phi will take place Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in G01 Biotechnology Building.

• A dean's panel, consisting of John Hopcroft of the College of Engineering, Daryl Lund of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Edward Lawler of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and Philip Lewis of the College of Arts and Sciences, will present issues facing each of the colleges. University Controller Yoke San Reynolds will introduce the speakers at the panel, which will begin at 4 p.m. in the amphitheater of the Statler Hotel.

• An update of the university's 1997 Inclusion Report will be presented by Provost Don M. Randel and Associate Provost Winnie Taylor on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in the Statler Amphitheater.

• "The Future of Financial Aid at Cornell" will be discussed by Inge Reichenbach, vice president for alumni affairs and development, and Ronald Ehrenberg, vice president for academic programs, planning and budgeting, on Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon in the Statler Amphitheater.

• A networking luncheon with women students will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in the South Dining Room at Robert Purcell Community Center.

• Susan H. Murphy, vice president for student and academic services, will discuss the 1997 Residential Community Report Saturday at 3 p.m. in the First Floor Lounge in Robert Purcell Community Center.

• Charles Moore, director of athletics, and Murphy will present an update on women's athletics at Cornell at 8:30 a.m. Sunday in the Taylor and Rowe rooms at the Statler Hotel.

PCCW Chair Jan Rock Zubrow formally will open the conference Friday at 1 p.m. in the Statler Amphitheater.

Other events include the reception with PCCW grant recipients at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Statler Ballroom foyer and an address by Cornell President Hunter Rawlings at a dinner Saturday evening.

PCCW was established in 1990 as an advisory council to the university's president, with the mission of advancing the involvement and leadership of women students, faculty, staff and alumnae. There are 332 members, invited by the president to serve three-year renewable terms. All current women trustees serve as ex-officio members.

The group has undertaken numerous projects to expand the role of women at the university and provide greater involvement for alumnae. Among its activities are the funding of 96 research studies and projects by women faculty and students, support for the first student-written Cornell Women's Handbook, sponsoring the first Women in Leadership at Cornell conference in December 1994 and advising Cornell's president on issues of importance to women.