Our Mission
The mission of WHEMN is to identify, develop, advance, and support women in higher education.
Our History
In 2003, Chancellor Robert C. Khayat of the University of Mississippi was appointed by the American Council on Education (ACE) as the presidential sponsor for the state of Mississippi and was tasked with establishing a network for women in higher education in the state of Mississippi. A steering committee was formed July 2003, which included eleven women who were leaders at higher education institutions throughout the state.
On September 24, 2003, the name of Women in Higher Education-Mississippi Network (WHEMN) was adopted for the organization. Institutional representatives were appointed by the president of each higher education institution located throughout the state of Mississippi.
The mission of WHEMN is to identify, develop, advance, and support women in higher education.
Our History
The goals of the organization are to: (1) Promote and support women’s leadership in higher education, particularly in Mississippi. (2) Facilitate networking of women leaders in higher education with each other and with organizations and networks that have shared goals. (3) Develop collaborative partnerships with other institutions, organizations, associations, foundations, and businesses to help achieve the mission of WHEMN. (4) Enhance the visibility of women administrators on Mississippi campuses. (5) Assist in career development of professional women and women students in higher education, with particular emphasis on minority women. (6) Identify potential women leaders and provide mentoring. (7) Recognize achievement of women administrators through appropriate awards.
The inaugural spring leadership conference was held March, 2004, at Millsaps College with 57 participants. Today, WHEMN has over three hundred members who participate in the professional development opportunities that are offered by the organization.