Six Women of Distinction honored by university

Six women received the 2003 Washington State University Women of Distinction Award, and will be honored at the Women’s Recognition Luncheon on Thursday, March 27. The women are all eligible to receive the Woman of the Year Award.

The Women of Distinction are Linda Moore, coach of the Pullman School District math teams; Mary Watrous-Schlesinger, WSU alumna and faculty member; Marica Saneholtz, senior associate athletics director for WSU; Chio Flores, associate director of financial aid; Madelsar “Madel” Ngiraingas, a student in Women’s Studies; and Laurie Carlson, a doctoral student in history.

This year’s theme is “Women Pioneering the Future.” For consideration for the Women of Distinction Award, the women had to distinguish themselves in academic work, career, leadership and public service. Also, the women had to contribute to the personal growth and success of others, especially women, through education, research, public or volunteer service.

Moore, named the outstanding woman outside WSU, has demonstrated a strong dedication to the success of children in mathematics. As the Pullman School District math team coach, she spends countless hours helping local students understand math through practice and competitions. Moore goes above and beyond her duties, said supporters. She makes herself available to students during after-school practices and, many times, on her days off. Moore’s dedication to mathematics is especially important to the girls on her teams and has coached some of the seniors since they were third graders. “ Dr. Moore is a model for young female mathematics students as a ‘practicing mathematician’ who is passionate about math. She contributes to society and to young women’s lives by living out her passion: a career in mathematics, leadership and public service,” one supporter said.

Watrous-Schlesinger was named outstanding WSU alumna. She has taught no fewer than 18 different history courses at WSU, covering the histories of several of countries. No one in the department, tenured and tenure-track faculty, can match her wide range of expertise. She organized and led two groups of students on educational tours of Mexico and has written many articles and papers presented at professional conferences, including two at international conferences. According to her nominators, nothing shows her creativity more than two courses she pioneered, History 325, “Food and Diversity in United States History” and History 492, “Cultural Appetites: Food in World History.” According to students, her courses combine women’s history and ethnic/racial histories in ways that they find very appealing. She brings to both courses her skills and interests as a cook and her deep, scholarly knowledge of the role of food in many cultures.

Saneholtz, was selected the outstanding female employee at WSU. She has been a powerful advocate for women at the university for more than 20 years and has seen the athletic department through countless changes, including the 1983 Superior Court decision that mandated WSU provide equitable treatment of its women’s athletic programs. Saneholtz believes in providing female coaching role models for female athletes and has recruited and hired competent women coaches, willing to hunt for the best candidate. She has served on many Pacific-10 Conference and National Collegiate Athletic Association committees and is an active member of the National Association of Collegiate Women’s Athletic Administrators, with a stint as president. She has lived and thrived at WSU in a typically male-dominated sporting world.

For Flores, also named outstanding female employee at WSU, her responsibilities do not lie in the day-to-day dealings with students. Her supporters say it is not at all unusual to find her meeting daily with students, as well as carrying out administrative tasks. Outside her job, Flores is the treasurer for the Chicana/o Latina/o Faculty/Staff Association and is a voluntary adviser to the Kappa Delta Chi sorority. “The four pillars of our sorority are unity, honesty, integrity and leadership,” one member said. “Chio exudes these qualities in all that she does. She is there for us, no matter what.” Another supporter said, “Many students who have benefited from her work at the scholarship and financial aid office talk about WSU being divided into two eras, B.C. and A.C. — before Chio and after Chio.”

Ngiraingas was selected outstanding female student at WSU. “An extraordinary woman, a brilliant student and a conscientious leader” is how one peer describes her. Along with her full course load, she is a teaching assistant who gives thoughtful feedback and relates to other students, not necessarily as a peer, but as a confident instructor. Ngiraingas is a mentor for the Asian American Pacific Islander Student Center and a co-founder of the Micronesian Student Association, serving a year as its president. She works for the Women’s Resource Center and is an advocate of women’s involvement, striving to educate students about false cultural stereotypes. Ngiraingas is a compassionate individual who shows great ambition to help her community and is the type of person who inspires everyone around her, one supporter said.

Carlson, also named outstanding female student at WSU, is the only graduate student to teach a 300-level course, History 380, “The History of Medicine.” She is an accomplished author, having published more than 15 books, three of those being scholarly publications. They include “On Sidesaddles to Heaven: The Women of the Rocky Mountain Mission” and “A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials.” She was named Idaho Writer of the Year in 1993 and was twice invited to participate as children’s book author during Family Reading Festival at the Smithsonian Institution. Carlson also served on the Spokane Board of Directors of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Nominators describe her work as imaginative and outstanding.

For more information, contact Marsha Yim, awards committee chair at (509) 335-4108 or e-mail to yim@wsu.edu.

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