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Awards Recognizing Contributions to the Advancement of Women across MSU's Campus
Betty Coffey Award
The award is given to a member of the MSU community who demonstrates achievement in incorporating women's perspectives in the curriculum and achievement in developing academic programs that contribute to the elimination of persistent barriers to the success of women.
The Betty Coffey Award was established in memory of Betty Coffey, an engineering professor from 1977-1984 who was noted for her teaching excellence and her contributions to women's equity.
Bethany Letiecq, health and human development, received the Betty Coffey Award. The award was established in memory of Betty Coffey, an engineering professor from 1977-1984 who was noted for her teaching excellence and her championing of women's equity and minority issues in the curriculum. It comes with a $500 honorarium. Letiecq conducts community-based action research with the goal of ameliorating health disparities among families on the economic and social margins. She is currently working in partnership with Latino migrants in the Gallatin Valley to develop interventions to improve migrant mental health and well-being. Colleagues call her work a successful integration of scholarship and engagement, both at MSU and in the community. They say it also raises awareness of important issues and causes MSU students to examine their own lives more deeply.
President Cruzado Thinking Gender Award
The President Cruzado Thinking Gender Award was named for the first woman president of Montana State University. This award, sponsored by TRIOTA honor society, recognizes one outstanding student for academic excellence in women’s and gender studies, advocacy, community service, or other significant contribution to gender equality on campus or otherwise.
Women's Faculty Caucus Mentor award
This award is intended to recognize extraordinary efforts on the part of a WFC member in mentoring women in the university, and particularly junior faculty members both prior to and beyond tenure. The award will be presented to an individual who has contributed substantially to the career development of one or more junior faculty members.
Laura Black, business, received the Women's Faculty Caucus Distinguished Mentor Award. It carries a $1,000 honorarium. The award recognizes an MSU faculty member for mentoring junior women faculty members by helping them negotiate the promotion and tenure process, encouraging their research and teaching activities, and providing "whole woman" role models. Colleagues say that since coming to MSU in 2002, Black has been a dedicated and committed advocate and mentor for numerous female faculty members in the College of Business and across campus. She has created a supportive research and teaching environment for those faculty members and has initiated informal mentoring relationships with junior faculty in the College of Business. Black regularly shares resources, creates opportunities for others and provides guidance in teaching, research and administration.
