Sociology professor Melissa Latimer has been named the 2013-14 Mary Catherine Buswell Award winner for her dedication to women’s concerns at West Virginia University (WVU).
The award is sponsored by the WVU Council for Women’s Concerns and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The Mary Catherine Buswell Award was established in 1978 and recognizes a WVU faculty member, staff member or student who demonstrates excellence in their field as it relates to the advancement of women, community and civic activities that serve and advance women, or significant pioneering activities that improve the status of women.
Latimer is also director of the WVU ADVANCE Center and adjunct professor at the CenteLatr for Women’s and Gender Studies at WVU. Her research and publications focus on the major ways that gender, race and class inequality are formed through labor market processes and welfare policies. Her research has focused on the short and long-term effects of welfare reform on individuals who live in economically disadvantaged areas.
Recently, Latimer’s scholarship has come full circle, with a return to a focus on the workplace. However, this time she is examining the academic workplace, and the work specifically aims to provide service to and advance WVU women. In addition to producing excellent scholarship, Dr. Latimer works to make sure that her research is in areas that will provide maximum benefit to women in West Virginia and at the University.
The recipient of the Mary Catherine Buswell Award receives a $500 gift. Latimer has chosen to donate the full award amount back to the Council for Women’s Concerns to help with future endeavors that will benefit women at WVU.
