Women's Studies received 20,000 dollars from the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Meyer Foundation. Dr. Jennifer Mata received notification of the award in mid December. She will use the funds as seed money to create what she hopes will one day be a Women's Resource Center in the Valley that will create working relationships between a Women's Center and the Women's Studies Program and Valley Agencies. Her project, "Connecting Resources: Building a Women's Resource Center at the University of Texas Pan American" will allow the Women's Studies Program to hire 5 temporary community liaisons and office staff to survey valley resources to begin a much needed dialogue with with non-profit, grassroots, and advocacy agencies. Women's Studies faculty and students will be central to the resource center as they use their knowledge and research to create positive change in their communities. These funds will allow for Women's Studies to explore the ways that a Women's Center would benefit the Valley, to explore the needs of agencies who will one day hire UTPA students, to provide a centralized location of resources, and to create models of education where the university and surrounding communities support and inform each other on the needs of their communities. For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Mata at 956-381-2323 or matajenn@utpa.edu