Institute for the Advancement of Women and Children

The Institute for the Advancement of Women and Children stands as a testament to the university's commitment to gender equity and empowerment. Launched under the direction of Mount Mary president Isabelle Cherney in 2023, the Institute is a continuation of the mission begun by the School Sisters of Notre Dame over a century ago.

Through its four Centers of Excellence, the Institute will provide women with the tools, resources and support they need to thrive personally, academically and professionally.

The Center for Women's Leadership strives to develop tomorrow's leaders and gamechangers through professional development opportunities, including seminars, networking and job shadowing.

The Voices of Leadership series brings global thought leaders to campus each fall to share insight with the community. Recent keynote presenters have included business hypergrowth expert April Hansen, mental health advocate Diana Chao and construction business owner Linda Alverado. In fall 2024, VOL welcomes Kat Esser from Amazon Web Services.
The Center hosts the Summer Leadership Academy, an immersive, week-long workshop providing career exploration and college preparation while fostering leadership for high school girls.
In June 2024 Mount Mary hosted the Latina's Access to Higher Education Summit. Attendees learned from accomplished women who have successfully led transformative changes within Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) educational settings. The event also explored best practices that empower Latinas pursuing higher education, with a particular focus on STEM disciplines.

Focused on local and global human rights issues, the Center for Women's and Children's Rights will promote research on issues related to the United Nations Convention and the Rights of the Child.

Designed to address regional disparities in the quality and access of healthcare across ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The Center for Health and Wellness works to narrow gaps in delivery of quality, accessible healthcare for those.

MMU Occupational Therapy and School of Nursing students provide community nursing and occupational therapy services to residents at Milwaukee Catholic Home and Trinity Woods, as well as the Wauwatosa Daycare facility located onsite at Trinity Woods.
In 2024, the university expanded and reinvigorated a partnership with Penfield Children's Center to deliver pediatric care to at risk children and families, helping provide the foundation for lifelong development.
Culturabot, a 2024 project sponsored by the Amazon Web Service Health Equity Initiative is using generative artificial intelligence to create culturally responsive care plans. Students and faculty from the MMU Occupational Therapy and User Experience (UX) Design programs are working with AWS advisers to create a product that will be scalable, with future applications across multiple healthcare disciplines. Now in its field testing phase, the IAWC and development team are working to connect the Culturabot app to potential investors for widespread distribution.

The Center for the Advancement of Women in Technology will elevate opportunities for students through expanded access to technology degree and training programs while addressing gender and racial disparities in technology.

Mount Mary will develop and host K-12 summer workshops for young women exploring careers in technology.
In summer 2024 the Center hosted a summer workshop for children of GE Healthcare employees, addressing women in technology.
The university provides scholarships for the new User Experience (UX) Design program, encouraging women to break barriers to entry in the traditionally male-dominated tech field. The Center for the Advancement of Women and Children is developing collaborations with a variety of corporate and non-profit entities to further expand its commitment to gender equity and empowerment.

Read more about the Institute for the Advancement of Women and Children at these links: