April 8, 2005

Challenges for women in the workplace were among the topics presented to VCU students at an international student research conference in the United Arab Emirates

Share this story

By Charmaine Curtis
University News Services

VCU student Jaime Bennett, pictured with Tipper Gore, mental health policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton, at the Women as Global Leaders conference in the United Arab Emirates.
VCU student Jaime Bennett, pictured with Tipper Gore, mental health policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton, at the Women as Global Leaders conference in the United Arab Emirates.

Ethics, gender roles, leadership and challenges for women in the workplace were among the topics at an international student research conference attended by four VCU students in the United Arab Emirates during spring break.

The Women as Global Leaders conference, held March 14-16, explored leadership education and the roles of women as leaders in their respective countries.

The conference included presentations from prominent world leaders and personalities, the presentation of research papers and workshops. Other activities were designed to introduce participants to the culture and environment of the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven independent states located in the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula.

“To talk about women as global leaders, and to talk about this topic in a place that stereotypically has been seen as everything else than entertaining an idea of women as leaders, is an educational experience on many levels," said Anders Linde-Laursen, Ph.D., an assistant professor in VCU’s School of World Studies. “I think that students went home with a new comprehension of the role of women in the United Arab Emirates as well as with contacts they can use in years to come.”

Laursen served as a student adviser during the conference, which also featured lectures on responsible leadership, women in cross-cultural comparison, women as peacemakers and negotiators.

"The most valuable skill I learned was that as women, we must bring our uniqueness and individuality into our leadership roles, allowing those varied forms of expression to guide us as we find a place of position in this world," said Jaime Bennett, a student who attended the conference.

Speakers included Tipper Gore, mental health policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton; Raja Al-Gurg, CEO of the Eissa Al-Gurg Group and president of the Dubai and UAE Businesswomen's Council; and Gro Harlem Brundtland, M.D., former director-general of the World Health Organization.

For more information on the recent conference, visit http://www.zu.ac.ae/leadership2005/index.html.