Welcome to the Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program (WGGP) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign! Since its inception in 1980, WGGP (formerly Women in International Development) has strived to promote gender equity and human development through collaborative research, instruction, and service. During the last decade, under the leadership of Director Colleen Murphy and Associate Director Anita Kaiser, WGGP has made much progress on achieving its program mission and goals. WGGP was approved in 2023 by the Illinois Board of Higher Education as a permanent center, which solidified its status as a permanent entity on campus. I am excited for the opportunity to work with our dedicated staff, faculty, students, alumni, and community partners on the continued program growth on my new role as the program director.

Interdisciplinary collaboration and global focus have always been the central focus of WGGP. Over the years, WGGP has hosted or co-sponsored numerous lectures, brownbags, and symposia that were delivered by scholars with expertise in various disciplines from across the world. These programming stimulated critical conversations on important social issues through gendered lens, and they advanced our understanding of how gender inequity affects access to resources and rights, which is key for social justice and sustainable development of individuals and communities.

For more than 40 years, WGGP has served as an invaluable platform to engage scholars, students, and community members. There are over 90 faculty affiliates from across campus who comprise a rich community of scholars.  Over 160 graduate students have been involved with WGGP through what was originally a certificate program and is now a graduate minor on Gender Relations in International Development (GRID).  In addition, a joint Undergraduate Certificate in Global Health was established in 2016. Each year we highlight our faculty affiliates and GRID alums on our website, in our weekly newsletter, and on social media, as well as through our annual GRID Alum and Faculty Affiliate lectures.

This year’s programming and events will continue reflecting the interdisciplinary collaboration and global focus of WGGP. A few highlights of the Fall programming include the Alumni Lecture by Annie Contractor on "Community Engagement, Rural Edition: Navigating Local Power and Conquering the Fear Factor" (October 2) and the Faculty Affiliate Lecture by Dr. Eunmi Mun on “Egalitarian Workplaces: Organizational Patterns of Gender Wage Inequality in High Income Countries” (October 11). We always welcome opportunities to co-sponsor events with other units across campus. We co-sponsor the University YMCA Friday Forum + Conversation Cafe Series along with other campus talks such as the Women Environmental Defenders and Climate Change in the Amazon Series and the upcoming Center for Global Studies talk by Dr. Manfred Steger, “Globalization at a Crossroads: Deglobalization or Reglobalization?” (October 7).  Please check our website to find additional upcoming events that we are hosting or co-sponsoring.

WGGP has received generous gifts that provide critical support for our students and programming. We have established two endowed full-year graduate fellowships and one endowed graduate research award. The Barbara A. Yates WGGP Program Series provides support for lectures, workshops, and conferences on gender equity. We are grateful for these and other gifts that are vital for the successful collaborative research, education, and public engagement of WGGP.

I invite you to look over our website and learn more about our program.  I also invite you to Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter and Instagram . I am happy to meet with you to discuss any questions you might have about our program or about how you may get involved with or support WGGP.  Please don’t hesitate to contact me, at mzhan@illinois.edu, or Associate Director, Anita Kaiser, at arkaiser@illinois.edu or (217) 333-6221. 

We look forward to hearing from you and working with you!

Sincerely,

Min Zhan
Director, Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program
Professor, School of Social Work