Wichita State University
Keynote Speaker
We are happy to announce that Dr. Barbara A. Kerr, Distinguished Professor of Counseling Psychology Emerita, University of Kansas, will be giving our keynote titled, "Women & Liberty."
Barbara was a Fulbright NSF Scholar at the University of Iceland. She is author of the series of Smart Girls books that tracked the changes in socialization of talented girls and women over the course of the last four decades, and six other books on the development of talent and creativity. Her laboratories have provided counseling and therapy for creative people while seeking a greater understanding of their needs and characteristics. Her most recent book, Psychology of Liberty: Reclaiming Everyday Freedom (Macmillan), is an exploration of the evolutionary psychology of freedom from a critical feminist perspective.
Her new book is The Psychology of Liberty: Reclaiming Everyday Freedom
12th annual
Kansas Gender & Sexuality Conference
Friday, March 6th, 2026
on the campus of Wichita State University
Pre-registration is now closed ,but there will still be an opportunity for on-site/walk-in registration the day of the conference.
Our agenda includes 8 traditional presentations and a panel featuring undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty affiliated with WSU, K-State, and KU including applied research emerging from campus-community collaborations - in addition to our keynote featuring Kansas scholar, Dr. Barbara A. Kerr.
As always, the conference is free and open to all students, faculty, and staff from Kansas colleges & universities as well as to our surrounding communities.
Location
This year we head back to where our conference began, the Marcus Welcome Center. The MWC is located near the corner of 21st and Oliver with easy access to several visitor parking lots directly in front of the center as well as at the baseball stadium across the street.
2026 Tentative Agenda Outline
- 8:30-9:00 am: Coffee & Check-in
- 9:00-9:30 am: Welcome & Community Spotlight
- 9:45-11:15 am: Session 1
- 11:30 am-12:30 pm: Session 2: Panel Discussion
- 12:30-1:45 pm: Lunch on your own
- 1:45-3:15 pm:: Session 3
- 3:30-4:30 pm: Keynote talk on Women & Liberty featuring Dr. Barbara A. Kerr, Distinguished Professor Counseling Psychology Emerita, University of Kansas
- 4:30-5:30 pm: Networking Reception
Conference Goals
The primary goals for this free conference are to:
- create interdisciplinary connections and dialogue among gender and sexuality scholars within Kansas,
- promote the dissemination of gender and sexuality related research, evidence-based practice, creative works, and reflection in a safe environment,
- provide students an opportunity to gain experience presenting their work,
- create bridges across the academic/community divide, and
- foster an engaged learning experience for attendees.
Stay Connected
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