College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University

Catt celebration

The Catt Center for Women and Politics is observing its 10th anniversary

Looking back at your accomplishments is typical at an anniversary celebration.

And while Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, and her staff will be doing that this fall; the organization also plans to celebrate what the future holds.

Throughout the 2002-03 academic year, the Catt Center will be observing its 10th anniversary on the Iowa State campus. A majority of the activities will take place this fall.

"As a Center we’ve made a lot of progress in the last ten years," Bystrom said. "We hope to renew excitement about the Center and publicize what we are doing by not only celebrating the past, but looking to our future."

The Catt Center's 10th anniversary celebration will include a series of special events and activities, including a visit by Christine Todd Whitman, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the former governor of New Jersey.

Whitman will appear on campus as the fall 2002 Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics on Thursday, Sept. 19. She will make two public appearances during her stay including a public lecture from 2-3 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. A reception for Whitman and Iowa political leaders will be held from 4-5 p.m. later that day at the Embassy Club at Capitol Square in Des Moines.

In addition to her public presentations, Whitman will speak at a luncheon hosted by the ISU Foundation's Women and Philanthropy Program and the Catt Center, and will meet with students affiliated with the Center at a private reception.

Other Catt Center 10th anniversary events include:

*Open house reception - Monday, Sept. 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in 302 Catt Hall. The reception will mark the date the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved a request to establish the Catt Center. The come-and-go reception will include a program featuring Sharon Rodine of Norman, Okla., a political science alumna who was instrumental in the establishment of the Center and its goals and mission.

*Benefit dinner and theatre performance -Wednesday, Sept. 25 in the Scheman Building. The benefit dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a performance of "The Yellow Rose of Suffrage" by Jane Cox, associate professor of theatre. Cox wrote and stars in the one-woman play about the life of Carrie Chapman Catt. Tickets for the dinner and/or theatre performance are available by contacting the Catt Center at 294-3181.

During the open house and benefit dinner, individuals may participate in the Catt Center's silent auction. Bidding began in early September and items are listed on the Catt Center’s website at www.iastate.edu/~cccatt/Homepage.html. Items for the silent auction will be on display during the Sept. 25 dinner and performance with bidding ending that night and the announcement of the winners.
Bystrom said the silent auction started out as a small endeavor, but has blossomed into much more.

"We have gotten some very interesting items donated to us," she said, "We have had a lot of good support from local, state and national political leaders from both parties and both men and women."

The items include autographed books, original paintings and other items from Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress, Iowa Legislature, and governor and state executive offices. There are several other non-political items available for bid including a dinner for six prepared by Kathy Geoffroy and hosted by President and Mrs. Gregory Geoffroy at The Knoll, season tickets to Cyclone football and women’s basketball games, and gift certificates to restaurants, clothing stores and salons.

Some of the specific political items include an original, signed painting by California Senator Dianne Feinstein and a ceramic elephant from the collection of Mary Louise Smith, former chair of the Republican National Committee.

The silent auction and benefit dinner are part of the Center's 10th anniversary fund-raising campaign to establish a $250,000 endowment campaign to support the Center's programs and activities in the areas of student leadership development, research and outreach.

Even after September, the Catt Center plans to offer a variety of activities in the 2002-03 calendar year to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Initial plans will focus activities around the November 2002 election, including possible candidate forums and encouraging the youth vote.

"We'll also be able to bring in two speakers as the Mary Louise Smith Chair this year," Bystrom said.

She hopes to be able to attract a prominent Democratic woman to be the speaker for the spring 2003 semester.