Thinking about returning to or starting college for the first time? The Lake Superior College Diversity Committee, the Minnesota Women’s Foundation and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will host a one-day conference at Lake Superior College on Saturday, March 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to offer support and information for women who want to return to college or have never been to college.

Organized to recognize Women in History Month, the conference is designed for the person thinking about going to college for the first time or as a re-entry adult. “Many of our presenters have experienced difficulties in their lives going to college and completing their degrees,” said Nancy Schumacher, LSC conference contact. “Their stories and advice will be inspiring for other women.” Session topics include financing college, navigating paperwork, learning styles and life goals.

The conference will offer resources from area two- and four-year colleges and community organizations, including Lake Superior College, the College of St. Scholastica, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, and the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, to help women learn more about the undergraduate and graduate degree options. Information on traditional classes, online classes, evening and weekend classes, late start options and accelerated programs will be available.

Karen Diver is the featured keynote speaker. Diver is the newly elected chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Reservation. This position serves as the chair of the tribal government and of the reservation’s corporate and economic development boards. The Fond du Lac Reservation is the largest employer in Carlton County with 1600 employees and more than $300 million in assets.

Previously, she served for three years as the Director of Special Projects for the Fond du Lac Reservation and for eleven years as the Executive Director of the YWCA of Duluth. She is the immediate past chair of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and a member of the Blandin Foundation Board of Trustees. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Minnesota, Duluth and a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The conference costs $10, including lunch. Scholarships are available.

For more information, contact Nancy Schumacher, (218) 733-5985 or email her at n.schumacher@lsc.edu.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 23rd, 2007 at 4:52 pm and is filed under Community, Workshops & Presentations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.