Distinguished Visitor in Women's Studies

Welcome to Year Ten!

The Distinguished Visitor in Women’s Studies program is the joint initiative of Women’s Studies and the community group, Friends of Women’s Studies. Our goal is to celebrate and honour Canadian feminists. Visitors come from diverse occupations and regions and have in common their commitment to working with and on behalf of women.

Each fall, we bring a high-profile woman leader to Windsor for one week to engage students, faculty, and community members in discussions about gender equality, women’s empowerment, and feminist activism. Visitors are chosen because they push the boundaries of conventional thinking. They challenge commonplace assumptions about who women are and their place in society. They invite us all to imagine a world in which every woman is free to act on her particular interests and talents. And they call us to action.

Visitor Activities

During their stay in Windsor, Visitors participate in Women’s Studies classes and meet members of the community in large and small group settings. The highpoint of the week is the Visitor’s keynote address at the Distinguished Visitor Community Dinner, which is Windsor’s largest annual University-community event.

Benefits to Students and the Community

The Distinguished Visitor in Women’s Studies program complements what students learn in the classroom. For many students, it is their first opportunity to talk to women leaders who value their connections with other women and to hear first-hand how these women balance the complex and often conflicting demands facing women today. These interactions build students’ understanding of important social issues and demonstrate how abstract classroom theories can be applied to real-life situations.

The Distinguished Visitor in Women’s Studies program links the University to the community to the benefit of both. It demonstrates the positive contributions that universities can make to everyday life. Coming together in workshops and social events, individuals from diverse backgrounds exchange ideas and develop strategies to address issues of common concern. Students and community members alike find Visitors inspiring. Some describe their participation in the program as life-defining.

"This is a program that goes beyond the University of Windsor.  You are paying tribute that is owed to women, and who many times would go unrecognized."