Indiana State University Newsroom

Helping Asian women succeed in their careers will be the focus of the "Breaking the Glass Ceiling" forum on April 17 at Indiana State University.

The forum, sponsored by Indiana State's Asian and Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Council, is free and open to the public and will take place from 3-5 p.m. in the Whitaker Room, Room 110G in University Hall. The event will kick off at 2:30 p.m. with a high tea reception.

"Our intention is to empower Asian females by seeing the success of the women who are on the panel," said Karen Liu, professor in the department of elementary, early and special education at the Bayh College and a member of API.

During the hour-long panel discussion that will begin at 3 p.m., panelists will be given 20 minutes each to address barriers they have face as Asian women in the fields of social science, science/engineering and law. The discussion will be followed by a 45-minute question and answer session.

Panelists will include: Phylis Lan Lin, professor of sociology at the University of Indianapolis, executive director of the University of Indianapolis Press and director of Asian Programs and associate vice president for international partnerships; Sudipa Mitra-Kirtley, professor of physics and optical engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; and Lakshmi Reddy, judge for Vigo County Superior Court, Division Two.

"Women have a tendency not to be able to break the glass ceiling, no matter what their skin color is, but sometimes Asian women blend into the crowd," said Marlene Lu, an API member and office assistant in the Blumberg Center. "When we decided to talk about this, we started looking outside of Indiana State's campus to get a different perspective than students may get in the classroom. We want students who may attend to see that it may be tough for Asian women, and women in general, but it's possible to do it and be successful."

With an ongoing effort on campus to invest in women, Liu said this event is a perfect fit.

"We want to empower our female students, particularly Asian females, and show them that we all have challenges, including myself, but support, mentoring and being committed and confident are all important components to their success," she said.

Permit-free parking will be available in Lots 15 and R. While there is no cost to attend, registration is requested. Registration will begin at 2:15 p.m. the day of the event or can be found at http://www.indstate.edu/diversity/asian_pacific_islander_council.php.

Photo: http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-vTtkq8v/0/Th/i-vTtkq8v-Th.jpg - Phylis Lan Lin

Photo: http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-NvqZ7nZ/0/Th/i-NvqZ7nZ-Th.jpg - Sudipa Mitra-Kirtley

Photo: http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-njXv8Bh/0/Th/i-njXv8Bh-Th.jpg - Lakshmi Reddy

Contact: Karen Liu, professor in the department of elementary, early and special education at the Bayh College of Education, karen.liu@indstate.edu

Writer: Betsy Simon, media relations assistant director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-7972 or betsy.simon@indstate.edu