The "Young Women, Strong Leaders" conference, held in conjunction with Michigan Commission on Women and the ACE Women's Network, is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will reach out to female college students from across the region who will meet women leaders who reflect a cross-section of educational, academic, corporate and political experience in Michigan. There also will be a panel discussion and the keynote address will be given by Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley at 9:45 a.m.

"This collaborative conference provides a forum for young women to build relationships with established leaders in Michigan," said Professor Margaret E. Winters, conference coordinator, S.E. Michigan Regional Representative for the ACE Michigan Network and chair of Wayne State University's Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. "We are excited to be a sponsor and host site for a conference that offers to young women skill development, mentoring opportunities and preparation for success in their professional life."

Wayne State University President Jay Noren will provide the welcome and Michigan's First Gentleman, Daniel G. Mulhern, will offer opening remarks.

Cynthia Bir, associate professor and director of research for Wayne State University's Bioengineering Center, will be discussing "Finding Your Passion and Striking a Balance" during the Leadership Skill Building breakout sessions No.1 at 11 a.m. "As a leader, it is important to learn early about establishing a balance between your career passion and your personal passions such as family," said Bir. "A successful leader knows that quick thinking is important in certain circumstances, while sometimes it is better to completely assess the situation before reacting. This is true in several aspects of business, but especially true when dealing with our children."

Following three afternoon mentoring sessions, a closing panel will convene at 4 p.m. comprising Brenda Lawrence, mayor of Southfield; Turkia Mullin, deputy Wayne county executive; Alicia Nails, director, Wayne State University Journalism Institute for Media Diversity; and Hilary Ratner, vice president for research at Wayne State.

For more details about the event visit www.wrc.msu.edu/ywsl.php.

Additional sponsoring organizations include Michigan State University Women's Resource Center; Michigan Department of Education, Office of Career and Technical Preparation, U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau. Two other parallel conferences were also planned, one of which took place at Grand Valley State University and the other to occur at Alma College.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students.