TORONTO, November 5, 2001 -- Graduate students in Women’s Studies at York University will soon have the opportunity to "go for a Doris" - a $15,000 scholarship. The Doris Anderson Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) in Women’s Studies at York University is being established to celebrate the 80th birthday of its namesake, one of the leaders of Canadian feminism.
More than 1,000 people will attend a fund-raiser gala at the Royal York Hotel on Friday, Nov. 9 with Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in attendance. CBC Radio’s Shelagh Rogers will host the evening and soprano Mary Lou Fallis will lead the group in singing happy birthday.
Doris Anderson and Adrienne Clarkson were among the first women on the Board of Governors of York University. In her autobiography Rebel Daughter Anderson tells of her struggles in the early 1970s to add another woman to the board: "...I put forward my friend Barbara Frum. The board black-balled her as ‘too controversial’. Undeterred, I presented ten more names, from which they picked another great friend, Adrienne Clarkson." Today one-third of York’s board members are women.
As editor of Chatelaine magazine from 1958 to 1977, Anderson changed it from a "woman’s magazine" typical of the 1950s into a dynamic instrument of coast to coast consciousness raising. She has served as head of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women and as president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. The author of three novels and a book of non-fiction, she is a member of the News Hall of Fame and an officer of the Order of Canada. Becoming an octogenarian will not likely slow Anderson down. She is chair of the Ontario Press Council and campaigns tirelessly for a more equitable democratic electoral process.
The original goal of $100,000 to endow the Doris Anderson Graduate scholarship was quickly reached, with an unprecedented level of support. It is hoped that further contributions will raise the total to more than $200,000. Scholarship recipients will receive $5,000 from the fund and the remaining $10,000 from a double matching grant from the province of Ontario. Additional money raised will go toward a Doris Anderson Bursary Fund for $15,000 OGS scholarships for out-of-province students and for research.
In the spirit of Anderson’s brand of inclusive feminism, the gala ticket price of $60 is subsidized to make the event more affordable. The endowment fund project is spearheaded by journalists and feminist activists Michele Landsberg and Sheila Kieran, who are long-time Anderson friends.
The York University graduate program in Women's Studies provides students with both part-time and full-time options for working toward MA and PhD degrees. York offers the only freestanding PhD in Women's studies in Canada.
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For further information, please contact:
| Carol Bishop | ||
| Communications Officer | ||
| Faculty of Arts | ||
| York University | ||
| 416-736-2100, ext. 22015 | ||
| cbishop@yorku.ca |
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