New fund supports lesbian studies, honors teacher and activist Sally Gearhart

EUGENE, Ore. -- (Jan. 23, 2008) -- An anonymous donor has established a fund to support the Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) Program at the University of Oregon. The fund was established to honor Sally Miller Gearhart and to enhance lesbian studies within the WGS Program.

The fund will contribute to the production of historical and contemporary research in lesbian studies in the humanities and social sciences. In addition, the fund will enable WGS to bring guest scholars to campus, sponsor conferences to bring together scholars from all over the U.S. and support UO faculty doing research in this field.

The establishment of this fund coincides with the establishment of the new minor in queer studies through WGS.

Gearhart, an educator, science fiction author and activist in equal rights and social justice, was among the first openly lesbian professors to be granted tenure in the United States. In addition, she was one of the founders of the women's studies department at San Francisco State University. There, she taught some of the first courses in the nation with homosexuality in their titles. Her lesbian-feminist utopian novels wrestle with the social and ethical questions of how we might achieve a world in which our planet's extraordinary diversity can thrive.

To increase the fund, the anonymous donor has agreed to match all contributions up to a total of $25,000. For more information about how to give, please call the College of Arts and Sciences Development Office, 541-346-3950.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu

Links: Women's and Gender Studies Program, http://www.uoregon.edu/~wgs

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