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Embry-Riddle Celebrates Grand Opening of Women’s Center

Paula ReedDaytona Beach, Fla., Aug. 15, 2006 -- Female students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will soon have a room of their own, when the new Women’s Center holds its grand opening on Thursday, Aug. 31.

Paula Reed, director of the new center, says that student surveys and focus groups have indicated a desire for a welcoming space on campus dedicated to women: “With male students making up 82 percent of the student body, we want to enhance the campus environment for female students by providing a friendly place that offers services and programs promoting their personal, academic, and professional achievement.”

The three women who developed the Women’s Center in conjunction with student input are Dr. Christina Frederick-Recascino, associate provost; Irene McReynolds, director of human resources; and Dr. Nancy Parker, director of diversity advancement.

The center will resolve issues for female students through liaisons with other offices across campus, provide networks for female students with members of the campus and the community, and serve as a resource for organized groups. Upcoming events include featured speaker luncheons and special developmental programs.

Reed holds a B.A. in Mass Communication from Bethune-Cookman College and an M.A. in Organizational Communication from the University of Akron. She joined the university in 1995, serving as a personnel specialist, assistant to the president for diversity, and director of student advocacy. She is a member of the Daytona Beach Leadership Board, the City of Daytona Beach Enterprise Zone Board, the United Way Advisory Board, the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. In 2001 the City of Daytona Beach honored her with its Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award.

“Paula was the natural choice for the position of director of the Women’s Center,” says Dr. Parker. “Not only has she devoted her life to promoting civility, tolerance, and respect for all people, she also has a special rapport with students that has made her invaluable to this campus.”

The grand opening will be held in the Women’s Center, located in Canaveral Hall, Room 213, from 2-5 p.m. The event will include literature handouts and refreshments. For more information, please contact Paula Reed at (386) 226-6149 or paula.reed@erau.edu.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. The university educates more than 32,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., at more than 130 Worldwide locations in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning.