Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

Students to travel to Dubai for leadership conference

Jillian Smith

Eleven Miami University females are scheduled to leave campus March 8 for an adventure far away from the snowy weather and American lifestyle they're used to.

Joining women from around the world, 11 students will participate in the third annual Women as Global Leaders Conference in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The conference, which focuses on the sharing of ideas and debate regarding women's leadership, will be held March 10-12 in Dubai. It will feature panels on such topics as "Functional Contexts of Women's Leadership" and "Women in the Media."

In addition to the Miami students attending the conference, there will also be women, educators, and students from over 85 countries and representing sectors ranging from education to government to non-governmental organizations.

At the conference, the Miami students, all drawing from a variety of majors, will discuss papers they developed on various topics.

According to senior Jessica Plechaty, a French and international studies double major with a history minor, the papers took a long time to compile and required a lot of research. Her paper concentrated on ,"The Female Impact on the Business and Media Outlet."

"This is a great opportunity," Pelchaty said. "Dubai is an amazing place to go."

Senior Rachel Rudwall, an international studies and Spanish double major with a minor in European area studies, agreed.

"One of the most important experiences through the university is an exchange of knowledge," Rudwall said. "One thing that is so interesting is that it is held in part of the world where we tend to think women do not have a voice, but they do."

The conference is organized by Zayed University and held at the Dubai campus. Students will be able to meet with speakers such as Carol Bellamy, former head of UNICEF and current president of the School for International Training; actress and humanitarian Jane Fonda; and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and philanthropist.

According to Jeanne Hey, professor of international studies and director of the department of international studies, the group of Miami students was selected after she sent out a call for anyone interested in the conference through the international studies listserv. Word then spread through word of mouth, attracting more students than expected.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

Hey said she was surprised by the amount of positive feedback she received, despite the hard work involved in the process, from research to paper writing to acquiring funding. Students also each studied conversational Arabic and the culture of the UAE.

According to Hey, it is quite an accomplishment for Miami to send 11 students to the conference. She said she was amazed that 11 students did all the required work and therefore, have the chance to go to Dubai.

"This is most impressive group of undergraduates I have worked with," Hey said, concerning the 11 women attending.

These students include senior Ashley Adkins, sophomore Carrie Almasi, senior Kirby Broadnax, senior Caitlin Fitzmaurice, sophomore Caitlin Leach, sophomore Tho Nguyen, senior Jessica Plechaty, senior Rachel Rudwall, senior Elise Seiwert, senior Stephanie Sterling, and senior Erika Wirtz.

According to Hey, these senior and sophomore students are primarily, but not all, international studies majors.

Upon the student's return, they will be making a series of presentations to share their experiences.