URBANA, Ohio (June 10, 2008) - Shannon Werner, daughter of Tim and Lori Werner of Springfield, has been selected to be one of only 30 college women from throughout the State of Ohio to attend the NEW Leadership Ohio – Summer Institute the week of June 16 – 20, 2008 on the OSU campus. The program is sponsored by the John Glenn School of Public Affairs and the Department of Women’s Studies at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

The purpose of the program is to encourage and empower college women to take on public and political leadership roles. The NEW Leadership Ohio participants spend five days in an intensive, residential institute on the OSU campus. As stated on the NEW Leadership Ohio application, the participants will “learn the history of women’s involvement in public life, gain leadership skills in public speaking, advocacy, and diversity, and form a network of their peers as well as current women leaders during the week long institute.” All undergraduate women enrolled in any Ohio 2-year or 4-year college or university, or Ohio residents attending school outside of the state are eligible for the program. The thirty women selected “represent different racial, ethnic and class backgrounds, as well as a variety of academic majors, ages and interests.”

Shannon decided to apply after encouragement from her Urbana University Honors College professor, Dr. Claudia Stolz. “Being the president of the Commuter Club on the Urbana campus, I thought attending the leadership conference would be beneficial to me and to others in the organization.” Included in her acceptance packet was the book, Why Women Should Rule the World by Dee Dee Myers, former Press Secretary to President William Clinton. Shannon states that she is “very excited to read the book and to discuss it with other young college women my age from around Ohio.” This is going to be a wonderful learning experience that I hope to be able to apply to my involvement in the community and on campus.”

Ms. Werner will be entering her junior year at Urbana University in the fall. She is in the Honors College program majoring in accounting in the College of Business Administration.