Dr. Dina Franceschi to receive 2010 Woman of the Year Award from Fairfield University's Women's Studies program

Dr. Dina Franceschi to receive 2010 Woman of the Year Award from Fairfield University's Women's Studies program

Dr. Franceschi Dr. Dina Franceschi, associate professor of economics at Fairfield University, has been selected as the recipient of the Woman of the Year award for 2010, an annual award presented since 1994 by University's Women's Studies Program. A ceremony will be held to honor her work in the environment, childcare and other social justice issues on Wednesday, May 5, at 5 p.m. in Alumni House, located on the Fairfield campus.

A leader in environmental issues on campus, Dr. Franceschi was the co-director of the Program on the Environment from 2006-2008. She is a member of the Campus Sustainability Committee and the Environmental Steering Committee and has taught economics and environmental courses at Fairfield University since 1999.

From 2007 to 2008, she was appointed to the National Council for Science and the Environment's Council of Environmental Deans and Directors. This year she is serving as associate editor of the International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability.

She has published numerous works in a variety of peer-reviewed publications, dealing with subjects such as sustainability, microfinance, greenhouse gas emissions and water quality and service. A forthcoming paper will examine "Improving Water Service in Leon Nicaragua; Results from a Consumer Preference Survey" (with Emily Mandler and William Vasquez), International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability.

Dr. Franceschi facilitated student immersion trips to Nicaragua in March 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2010, and will serve as the co-director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program for the upcoming 2010-2011 academic year.

From 2002 to 2007 Dr, Franceschi served on Fairfield University's Child Care Committee where she was a major force in bringing to completion the Early Learning Center, designed to provide quality daycare services at a reasonable cost. The Center also serves as a resource for the study of early childhood development in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions and the School of Nursing.

A graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, she holds a Ph.D. in economics from The University of Tennessee with a specialization in environmental and natural resource economics and economic development.

The goal of the Women's Studies program is to explore the experience of women of all cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds by examining women's contributions in such fields as social science, natural science, the arts, business, and literature. Women's Studies courses allow female and male students to engage with issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality and other key components of identity, and the ways in which they intersect.

Posted On: 04-26-2010 10:04 AM

Volume: 42 Number: 278