Without women leaders, we deny our society the talent and insights of half the population, and our society will consequently be less democratic and diverse. However, even with talent and educational opportunities, too few women become leaders in their field of expertise. 

Under the direction of the Center for Women's & Gender Studies, INSPIRE, the University’s signature leadership program for undergraduate women, addresses this problem by directly confronting the obstacles and limitations—some of them self-imposed—that face women as they advance in their careers.

INSPIRE is a three-year interdisciplinary program (sophomore to senior) with three cohorts simultaneously developing skills necessary to achieve the highest levels of attainment.

Students attend bi-monthly mentoring meetings that provide practical presentation skills and public speaking; engage in community volunteering and coaching to expand their knowledge of leadership skills and management practices. 

Opportunities that the program offers are:

•  Community service/leadership development


•  Mentoring and networking


•  Internship/career assistance


•  Attending leadership conferences

Students are chosen based on numerous factors including, but not limited to: individual leadership potential, maturity, ability to deal with challenges, and a capacity to reflect on their personal strengths and weaknesses, special interests, unique characteristics or diverse experiences that contribute to the program’s learning goals, interest in public service, and a commitment to participate fully.

Students in the program are from a variety of majors, including engineering, architecture, biology, business, economics, international relations and global studies, and pre-med.

Apply to INSPIRE