Professor Emerita Barbara A. Yates Endowed Fund Established
New Fund will support Illinois Students Studying Women and Gender in a Global Context
Champaign, IL. — The Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program (WGGP) has received a generous estate provision to make a gift to support an endowment for a graduate student fellowship and programming. Professor Emerita Barbara A. Yates bequest will create The Barbara A. Yates Graduate Fellowship and Barbara A. Yates WGGP Program Series, which will allow students from across disciplines and backgrounds to develop a better understanding of the ways in which gender equity and human development are shaping the world.
“Barbara has made a lasting impact on our campus and future scholars with her generous endowment for the Barbara A. Yates Graduate Fellowship and Barbara A. Yates WGGP Program Series,” said Colleen Murphy, Director of the Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program. “Her gift will allow the University to further expand its commitment to providing a global classroom for its students.”
Barbara joined the Illinois faculty in 1966 in the department of Education Policy Studies within the College of Education. She received her B.A. (1955) and M.A. (1956) in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley and her Ph.D. (1967) from Columbia University. After completing her MA and prior to beginning her Ph.D., Barbara served in the Foreign Service (1957-1962), working in Cambodia, Indonesia, and The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Barbara served as the Associate Director for the International Programs and Studies (now Illinois International Programs) before founding the Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program in 1980 and serving as its first Director. After retiring from the University, she created the Barbara A. Yates International Research Award for WGGP Graduate Students. The award has sponsored more than 28 students to date. Barbara passed away on August 11, 2017.
About WGGP
The Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program (WGGP) is an interdisciplinary unit at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Since its inception, the program has certified 136 graduates from 48 countries and 35 different departments through the Gender Relations in International Development (GRID) program. More than 65 faculty across 25 departments, colleges, and institutes are currently affiliated with WGGP. In 2000, WGGP established four international research awards as well as a full fellowship for student research. The program has organized international workshops, brought in globally-recognized speakers, sponsored international scholarly exchanges, and undertaken collaborative research here and abroad.
For more about WGGP, visit: http://wggp.illinois.edu.