South American delegates visit Mount Mary to discuss women and leadership

A group of 12 delegates visiting Wisconsin from South and Central America paid a visit to Mount Mary University to gain greater understanding of the role women leaders play in driving economic and social change in the U.S.

Organized by the International Institute of Wisconsin, the delegates included women leaders from Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. The group met with senior leadership from Mount Mary on Tuesday.

"Mount Mary takes its inspiration from the School Sisters of Notre Dame, an international community of women religious dedicated to transforming the world through education," said S. Joan Penzenstadler, SSND, Vice President for Mission and Identity. "We understand the power of global connectedness with progressive women committed to changing and improving their communities."

Founded in 1913 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Mount Mary has pioneered all-women's education in the state. Mount Mary is the first four-year, degree-granting Catholic institution for women in Wisconsin. Today it serves a minority-majority population and offers more than 30 undergraduate majors for women and nine graduate programs for women and men.

In addition to learning about Mount Mary's mission and the value of single-sex education, the group learned about the University's outreach efforts within the community, such as the annual Voices of Leadership conference, which was also held this week.

The delegates will spend six days in Wisconsin during their three-week tour of the U.S. The trip was sponsored through professional exchange program, the International Visitors Leadership Program, which is operated by the U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs.