Monday, July 11, 2011
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Rackham dean receives prestigious and personal award
Dean Stewart
receives honor for
research on women
and psychology
By HALEY GOLDBERG
For the Daily
In front of about 1,100 mem-
bers of the American Association
of University Women, Abby Stew-
art, associate dean of Rackham
Graduate School, received the
Eleanor Roosevelt Fund Award at
the AAUW's 2011 National Con-
vention in Washington, D.C. on
June 18.
The Eleanor Roosevelt Fund
Award, which was established
in 1989, provided Stewart with
$5,000 and honored her psycho-
FORD
From Page 1
Coleman said in a July 8 School of
Public Policy press release.
"Betty Ford was a gracious
and generous friend of the Uni-
versity, as well as a warm personal
friend," Coleman said. "She was a
wonderful partner with her hus-
band, the late President Gerald R.
Ford, and together with their chil-
dren they were steadfast support-
ers of Michigan. We will miss her
dedication and enthusiasm, and
will remember the affection she
showed our community."
Alongside her husband, Betty
Ford co-chaired the Michigan
Difference campaign and helped
raise money forcthe construction
of the Ford School, Collins said,
adding, "she was very generous
with her time" and always met
with students, faculty and staff.
Even following President
Ford's death on December 26,
2006, the former first lady
remained involved with the
affairs of the University, even
meeting with Collins at her home
in California after she was named
dean of the Ford School in 2007.
"She very graciously spent
some time with me and a staff
member hearing about what was
happening at the school," Collins
said. "She was very interested in
me as the dean and my interests
and direction for the school. It
was a wonderful visit."
logical research of women and
work toward women's rights. In
addition to ties between her moth-
er and the former first lady, Stew-
art wrote in an e-mail interview
that she embarked upon women's
studies because she felt it was a
neglected area within psychology.
"At the time when I entered
the field of psychology, the expe-
riences women had were not
studied much and were not con-
sidered an important part of the
mainstream of the field," Stewart
wrote. "I wanted to contribute to
changing that."
Stewart wrote that she was
flattered by receiving an award
that provided a "symbolic linkage
with such an important vision-
ary female leader," particularly
because the connection stems
from her mother's work with Elea-
nor Roosevelt during World War
Collins added that Ford's work
with women's rights would be one
of her most lasting impacts.
"For all of the things she has
done in the rights of women ... she
was just a force and made a tre-
mendous impression at that time
that I think has really been quite
lasting," Collins said. "She was
an active supporter for the Equal
Rights Amendment, and that was
quite controversial at that time, as
were a number of the positions she
took."
David Horrocks, supervisory
archivist for the Gerald R. Ford
Presidential Library and Museum,
said the source of her dedication
to the University spurred mostly
from President Ford - a student
and celebrated player for the foot-
ball team in the early 1930s.
Elaine Didier, Gerald R. Ford
Library and Museum director,
echoed Horrocks' sentiment and
said that Ford eagerly supported
her husband's initiatives for the
University.
"The University was primarily
President Ford's love," Didler said.
"He went to school here, he was
the football star, he came back
repeatedly ... he was very proud
of the Ford School being built. But
certainly she was right there with
him."
In addition to her work with
the University, Ford also publicly
struggled with both cancer and
substance abuse. After being diag-
nosed with breast cancer in 1974,
she openly discussed the issue
II in garneringsupport for the war
effort.
According to Stewart, the
extent of the relationship had
been unknown until her mother's
death two years ago, when Stew-
art's son contacted the Roosevelt's
Hyde Park archives to search for
materials relating to Stewart's
mother. Stewart wrote that she
was surprised to receive 72 pages
of documents pertaining to her
mother's work as a volunteer and
then a paid assistant to the former
first lady.
"My mother had always mini-
mized her connection with Mrs.
Roosevelt, while at the same
time emphasizing how much she
admired and respected her," Stew-
art wrote. "So it was a great gift to
have these papers and learn more
about my mother's life as a young
woman during the war."
with the public, a decision Col-
lins said resulted in "changing
the comfort level of talking about
what had been a very taboo and
private subject."
Ford also spoke openly about
her addiction to prescription
drugs and alcohol in the years fol-
lowing her battle with breast can-
cer. After her family confronted
her about her prescription drug
and alcohol use, Ford entered
the Long Beach Naval Hospital
in California in 1978. Once she
fully recovered, she founded the
Betty Ford Center at the Eisen-
hower Medical Center in Rancho
Mirage, Calif. in 1982 to provide
resources for people struggling
with substance abuse.
The facility - regarded today
as one of the premier addiction
centers in the world - will be
another of Ford's most outstand-
ing impacts, Collins said.
"(It is) a model for how you
address addiction to alcohol and
drugs and how you support and
treat both the men and women
who are addicted but also their
families," she said.
Horrocks said this candor is
what people admired most about
Ford, and is a quality that made
it easy for Americans to identify
with her. He added that even at
her most vulnerable, she appeared
both poised and genuine.
"I think she really was what
she appeared to be to the public,
by which I mean a kind and genu-
ine person," he said.
"I know my mother would
have been truly delighted by this
symbolic connection tying the
three of us together... that made
this award feel very personally
meaningful to me," Stewart added.
Stewart wrote that Roosevelt
has continually inspired her in her
personal research pursuits and
studies of women's rights.
"There is no doubt that Elea-
nor Roosevelt was an advocate for
women's rights, and more gener-
ally for human rights and social
justice," Stewart wrote. "It is her
commitment to these values that
inspired my mother, me, and so
many others."
David Engelke, associate dean
of the Rackham Graduate School,
wrote in an e-mail interview that
Stewart's colleagues were glad
to hear news of her winning the
award, though many of them
UNION
From Page1
passing over the MNA's subse-
quent demands to bargain.
In early April, the six nurses
- who are part of a forty-member
vascular access services team spe-
cializing in infusion therapy and
IV placement - were told some of
their shifts would be reduced to
eight hours from the usual twelve
hours, Harrison said. Those nurs-
es then approached the union
with a complaint, and the MNA
pledged to look into the situation,
she added.
By April 19, the MNA had sub-
mitted a demand to bargain with
the University, but were "unre-
sponsive" to the demand accord-
ing to Harrison, and throughout
May and June either ignored or
refused the MNA's efforts to nego-
tiate.
"I was actively working to
basically avoid filing a charge,"
Harrison said. "And because of
unresponsiveness or lack of will-
ingness, that didn't happen ...
We had no choice but to file the
charge."
John Karebian, MNA's execu-
tive director, said in a June 30
press statement that the Univer-
sity Health System's inattention
was indicative of the University's
treatment of its nurses.
"This behavior by the Employ-
er is a sad commentary on the lack
of respect the nurses receive,"
anticipated it would happen.
"All of us at Rackham were
very pleased, though not par-
ticularly surprised she would
win such an award since she is
known across campus, and across
the nation, for her advocacy and
scholarship on relevant issues,"
Engelke wrote.
Engelke added Stewart has
been a "prime mover" in helping
to raise awareness of difficulties
faced by both women and minor-
ity groups on campus.
Linda Hallman, AAUW exec-
utive director, stated in a June 6
press release that the organiza-
tion was excited to honor Stew-
art because of her extensive work
with women and psychology.
"We are proud to celebrate
the achievements and work of Dr.
Stewart, a champion of equity for
women and girls," she said.
Karebian said. "The University
of Michigan Professional Nurses
Council is made up of well-edu-
cated registered nurses who are
the backbone of quality care at this
health system. They deserve better
treatment from their Employer."
In response to ongoing con--.
tract discussions between the
University and the MNA, the
University Health Service wrote
in a June 29 press statement that
they respect the work of nurses
"as they play a crucial role in the
quality and safety ofthe care (pro-
vided) at UHS."
This week, University offi-
cials declined to comment on the
charges brought by the MNA, but
Michael Steigmeyer, UMHS inter-
nal communications coordinator,
confirmed in an e-mail interview
that UMHS is looking into the
allegations.
"We have received the claim
and are following our usual pro-
cess for reviewing and responding
to it," Steigmeyer wrote.
The charge will now head to a
formal hearing during which the
University and the MNA will offer
arguments and present witnesses
for examination and cross-exam-
ination in a trial-like proceeding,
according to Ruthanne Okun,
director of the Michigan Employ-
ment Relations Commission. After
the hearing, which concludes a
process that typically lasts six
months, a judge will issue a deci-
sion and recommend an order, she
added.