Fairfield Native Gives $1M To Start Women's Leadership Center
FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield native has donated $1 million to launch a women’s leadership center at Howard University.
Jim Murren, a former Fairfield resident, and his wife, Heather Murren, gave the $1 million gift to establish the university’s Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership. Jim Murren is the chairman of the Nevada COVID-19 Task Force and a trustee of Howard University. Heather Murren is a businesswoman, as well as a graduate and trustee of Johns Hopkins University.
The donation was announced Thursday.
“We are extremely grateful to Trustee Jim Murren and Mrs. Heather Hay Murren for this generous $1 million gift," Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick said in a news release from the school, located in Washington, D.C.
"... Our students’ college experiences will be significantly enriched through this program, which will empower Black women to continue to take their rightful place as leaders in every facet of our society and the global community."
The gift kicks off a multi-million-dollar fundraising effort for what will be an interdisciplinary institute working with professional programs in health, business, communications and law, as well as majors in the arts and sciences.
“We cannot overstate the importance of advancing Black women’s leadership at this moment in history,” Jim and Heather Murren said in the news release.
“Facing a global pandemic, a severe economic downturn and a renewed societal focus on racial injustice, the country is facing a critical inflection point. To secure our national economy and ensure our future prosperity, we have to promote female leadership and ensure women’s equal representation across all sectors of our society.”
The center will be led by J. Jarpa Dawuni, Esq., Ph.D., an associate professor of political science who has been recognized as a Fulbright Specialist Scholar and a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow. The center’s academic focus will include innovative research as well as the creation of a data center on issues of women and gender in the United States and the global Black diaspora.
The center will provide opportunities for students through scholarships and internships. Additionally, the program will match students with women leaders in business, government and social justice work for mentorship and sponsorship opportunities.
“Women already represent a significant and growing proportion of the labor force and a vocal component of civic life,” Jim and Heather Murren said. “This gift seeks to capture that energy, develop this exceptional talent pool and push our country forward, with women at the helm.”
For more information, visit bit.ly/3nuqAAB.
This article originally appeared on the Fairfield Patch
