by R. Leibold
St. Mary’s Community News
February 26, 2006
The Women´s Caucus of St. Mary´s University will present the 2006 Alice Wright Franzke Feminist Award to three members of the St. Mary´s community who promote peace, empowerment, civic engagement and respect of all persons.
The award winners will be recognized at noon on Thursday, March 2, in the Hospitality Suite of the Alumni Athletics & Convocation Center, as the first event of Women´s History Month at St. Mary´s. They include:
• Antonia Castañeda, Ph.D., associate professor of history, faculty award. • Rosalyn Falcon Collier (B.A. ´70), co-founder of the interfaith peaceCENTER, alumna award. • Khushbu Patel, senior, student award.
Castañeda has demonstrated a commitment to increasing gender equality and empowerment both in and outside the university by proactively engaging course material that promotes peace and justice. Her colleagues consider her an exemplary Chicana role model of civic engagement who is well-versed in feminist and gender issues and actively participates in community organizations that support gender equality.
Collier is co-founder of the interfaith peaceCENTER where she designs and facilitates conflict engagement and transformative mediation workshops promoting creative non-violence in multi-cultural situations. She is also director of the Peacework Initiative, which offers individual mediation services for families, schools, non-profit and community organizations.
Patel embodies what it means to be driven and civically engaged through her participation in student organizations including Americans for Informed Democracy and Pre-Law and International Relations Honor societies. After graduation, Patel intends to continue volunteering with a focus on civic engagement to reduce poverty and to strengthen women´s rights and opportunities.
The Franzke Award was established by St. Mary´s Women´s Caucus in 1990 to commemorate the life and work of Alice Wright Franzke, Ph.D., who died of cancer shortly after receiving the award. Franzke, a sociology professor at St. Mary´s from 1982 to 1989, was an inspirational role model of feminist activism and civic engagement who embodied a commitment to peace and justice.
She was a founding member of St. Mary´s President´s Peace Commission.
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