April 2024 Branch Meeting

PRESIDENT’S MEETING 

Our annual President’s Meeting is happening this month at our Branch meeting on April 27. Many important decisions and announcements will be made so SAVE THE DATE.

Florence Schneider Award

Florence Schneider was a legendary member of the Ashland Branch and a lifetime member. She was an active recruiter and mentor for new members, pushing them to take on leadership roles and to extend themselves beyond what seemed comfortable. She passionately believed that AAUW should be an important part of every educated woman’s life. The Ashland Branch established the Florence Schneider Award in 2000 after her death in 1999. The Award is given to a member in recognition of leadership and outstanding long service to the Branch and the community. A committee of past recipients annually selects a member who exemplifies the values that Florence personified:

• Longstanding service to, and loyal member of, AAUW.
• Commitment to AAUW’s goals of lifelong education, equity for women and girls, and positive societal change.
• Serving as a strong mentor for strong women.
• Sharing personal talents in a thoughtful and deliberate manner.

Named Honorees Awards

Named Honorees are named each April by the AAUW Ashland Board in recognition of meritorious service to the branch during that AAUW year. The Named Honoree program is administered by Oregon State AAUW. Each branch is entitled to one Named Honoree for every $500 contributed by the branch and all its members.

Leadership 

Each year in April, we elect and appoint members from our organization to lead us in the coming year. Leadership is a learned skill and “practice makes perfect.” The phrase is often used, but it is not what we need in a leader. We all learn from our mistakes as uncomfortable as that might be, so “perfection” is not desirable. We seek leaders who are willing to make mistakes, learn from them, and move on. We want leaders who want to serve and make our group stronger and more resilient.

Please welcome our speaker, Dr. Neil Woolf, Executive Vice President, Acting – Vice President of Finance and Administration at Southern Oregon University (SOU).

The Impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on Affirmative Action on Higher Education

Dr. Neil Woolf, SOU

This month we step on to the college campus. “Affirmative action has historically been an instrument that colleges can use to ensure that students of color receive fair consideration for admissions given the systemic barriers, underinvestment in schools that students of color attend, inequities in access to advanced coursework, and non-academic factors that overwhelmingly advantage White and wealthier applicants.

Affirmative action has also been a longstanding topic of debate. A Supreme Court decision may put an end to considering race in college admissions. But research shows that most Americans continue to support affirmative action to counteract the effects of discrimination and create pathways for all students to thrive. No Supreme Court decision will change that.” (Education Trust, edtrust.org, 2024).

To address these and other issues from the frontlines, I am delighted that Dr. Neil Woolf, Executive Vice President, Acting – Vice President of Finance and Administration at Southern Oregon University (SOU) will be our April speaker. As the Executive Vice President at SOU, Dr. Woolf leads strategic planning and operation. His many other responsibilities include legislative engagement, strategic enrollment planning, implementation of equity, diversity, and inclusion (DEI) principles and practices to better serve students, among many other duties that ensure the health and wellbeing of SOU. Dr. Woolf previously led the University’s enrollment management and student affairs continues to provide executive leadership and consultation regarding the strategic enrollment of the university.

Prior to joining Southern Oregon University, Dr. Woolf led strategic enrollment management, student affairs, and institutional success efforts in Wisconsin, Washington, and Nevada. Dr. Woolf’s chief interest is expanding access to college education and expanding student success and graduation while enrolled.

Dr. Woolf earned his bachelor’s degree in government and business administration from Eastern Washington University, his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Utah, and his doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Woolf and his wife Tisha are the proud parents of three children and enjoy the many opportunities that the region provides.

Beth Rubin, Program Chair

2024 Branch Meeting Program Schedule

United Methodist Church- Wesley Hall: social time at10:00; program 10:30-12 

Our final branch meeting, May 25th will be “So you want to be a winemaker: Notes from the field.”  Scheduled are a winery owner (Kathy O’Leary, Long Walk Vineyards) , winemaker Sara Garr (Circadean Cellers and wine reporter (Paula Bandy) [and possibly others]. This presentation will end with our final upscale raffle in which we will be raffling bottles of wine (more on that later).