Dr. Marilyn Grady

2008 Call for Proposals for the 22nd Women in Educational Leadership Conference (WELC), October 12-13, 2008, at the Embassy Suites in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska

Research topics that address issues relating to or interests of women in educational leadership are encouraged. Review the 2008 WELC session schedule link for topic examples.

WELC is a great opportunity to present at a national educational research conference. It also provides an avenue to network and initiate lifelong professional relationships with others. Both men and women are encouraged to submit proposals.

Only electronically submitted proposals will be accepted through this link.
Submissions should include:

• A proposal of no more than 500 words,
• A 50-word maximum session description, and
• A 50-word maximum biography for each presenter.

It is very important that you do not exceed the maximum word limits listed above in order for the proposal to be accepted.

Each proposal is limited to three presenters maximum - no exceptions.
You will be notified when the blind review process is completed.

Presenters for accepted proposals will be required to register early for the conference in order to be included in the schedule.
Specifics about the conference will be posted this spring on the WELC website.

Requests for additional information should be directed to:

Marilyn Grady, Ph.D.
Educational Administration – UNL
128 Teachers College Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0360
(402) 472-0974
Fax: (402) 472-4300
mgrady1@unl.edu

Registration information for the 2008 conference will be available soon.

History of WELC

The first conference on women in educational leadership was held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1987. The theme for the first conference was based on the results of a survey of women administrators in K-12 and higher education settings. The survey respondents identified skills women needed to pursue careers in educational administration.

Although at one time, the entire faculty in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was male as were the students, by 1987 a significant number of students in the leadership preparation programs were women, and the department had hired a woman faculty member.

As the woman faculty member, I was challenged to provide "something" for the women students. Thus, my colleagues gave the impetus for the conference on women in educational leadership to me. With the help of faculty colleagues, the survey results and graduate students, we sponsored the first conference.

The first conference was primarily a Nebraska event with University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate students as the audience and Nebraska administrators as the concurrent session speakers. Each succeeding year, we have used evaluations or research studies as the basis for subsequent conferences.

The audience for the conference has changed. The conference is no longer strictly a Nebraska phenomenon. Individuals from 46 states and three international countries have attended or given presentations. Many individuals have attended the conference each year. In this way, an incredible network of professional associations has been established for the conference attendees. These individuals have related many stories of the benefits of conference attendance.

The conference provides an excellent forum for discussion of issues related to women in educational leadership. We hope you will join us!

Marilyn L. Grady, Ph.D.