The W

Undergraduate Research Conference
2026-04-17 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Gail P. Gunter Multi-Purpose Room
The 6th-annual all-campus symposium, showcasing student research.

Virtual Book Talk: The Barn
2026-04-15 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for a virtual discussion of this year’s Community Read, The Barn by Wright Thompson.

W Music Student Showcase
2026-04-14 19:30 - 20:30 | Kossen Auditorium (Inside Poindexter Hall)
Join the W Department of Music as we host a musical evening featuring an array of musical genres from our talented music majors! This event is free and open to the public.

Natchez Documentary Screening
2026-04-14 12:00 - 20:00 | Gail P. Gunter Multi-Purpose Room

Eudora Welty's Birthday
2026-04-13 00:00 - 23:30 | The W Campus, 1100 College Street, Columbus, 39701, United States
The W celebrates the birthday of our most famous alumna, Eudora Welty, born this day in 1909.

Music in the Library
2026-04-10 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-03-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Fant Memorial Library, 1100 College St, Columbus, MS, United States
Join the W Department of Music for a musical afternoon as our talented music faculty and majors perform in Fant Memorial Library. You can take a study break, grab a book and a coffee at the library’s cafe, and enjoy some wonderful tunes with us!

Music in the Library
2026-04-10 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-03-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Northwest Lobby
Enjoy FREE live performances in the Fant Memorial Library lobby, featuring MUW’s amazing Music Department!

Nell Peel Wolfe Lecture: Dr. Doris Taylor
2026-04-09 18:00 - 19:00 | Nissan Auditorium, Parkinson Hall
Dr. Doris A. Taylor is a pioneer in regenerative medicine credited with scientific breakthroughs related to cell and gene therapy, stem cell biology, and tissue engineering. Her stem cell research was recognized as one of the “Top 10 Research Advances” by the American Heart Association, and TIME Magazine nominated her as one of the “100 most influential people in the world.” She serves as the Founder and CEO of RegenMedix Consulting. She holds a bachelor’s degree from MUW and a Ph.D. from UT Southwestern Medical Center.
This event is part of the Spring 2026 Homecoming festivities and the Gordy Honors Forum Series.

Juried Alumni Exhibition Reception
2026-04-09 16:30 - 18:00 | Summer Hall, 1102 5th Avenue South, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States

Community Read Book Talk: The Barn
2026-04-08 16:00 - 17:00 | Fant Multipurpose Room

Community Read Book Talk: The Barn
2026-04-08 16:00 - 17:00 | Gail P. Gunter Multi-Purpose Room

MUW Chamber Singers Spring Concert
2026-04-07 19:30 - 20:30 | Kossen Auditorium (Inside Poindexter Hall)
You are invited to join the W Chamber Singers, conducted by Dr. William Reber and Prof. Zane Lynn for their spring performance! This event is free and open to the public.

Books & Banter - Twilight Tandem Read
2026-04-06 16:00 - 17:00 | Gail P. Gunter Multi-Purpose Room
Join us as we sink our teeth into Twilight and Midnight Sun and experience the beloved story through both Bella’s and Edward’s perspective.

Making Money Moves: Women, Wealth, and Risk-Taking with Cecilia Brooks and Andrew Luccasen
2026-04-01 16:00 - 17:00 | Gail P. Gunter Room, Fant Memorial Library
Want to learn how to make your money go further? Join Cecilia Brooks, Associate Professor of Family Science, and Andrew Luccasen, Professor of Economics and Finance and advisor of The W’s TVA Investment Club, for a discussion of Invest Like a Girl, a new book from Jessica Spangler. Dr. Spangler’s guide is designed to provide “the essential information and … the game plans that women need to begin investing right away and according to their unique financial profiles.”
This event is the second in a two-part series on financial literacy co-sponsored by the Women’s College and the Career Services and Professional Development Center.

Fashioning a Revolution: How Americans Bought, Fought, and Taught Their New Nation into Being
2026-03-31 17:30 - 18:30 | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS 39701, Columbus, MS, 39201, United States
Dr. Peter Messer will open the traveling exhibit Becoming the US: Colonial America to Reconstruction with his talk Fashioning a Revolution: How Americans Bought, Fought, and Taught Their New Nation into Being on Tuesday, March 31 at 5:30pm at the downtown branch of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System.​
​Dr. Messer is a historian of Early American politics and culture at Mississippi State University. His interest lies in the theory and practice of politics in eighteenth-century America, particularly the intersection of natural historical thought and nation building in the era of the Early American Republic. In 2005, he published Stories of Independence: Identity, Ideology, and History in Eighteenth-Century America.​
​He is currently working on a book manuscript: Adultery, Church Pews, Oysters, and Tea: The Very Local Origins of the American Revolution in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.
​This program is sponsored by a Mississippi Humanities Council America250 Grant.
For more information, call the CLPLS at 662-329-5300.

Becoming the US: Colonial America to Reconstruction Exhibit Opening
2026-03-30 09:00 - 14:00 | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS 39701, Columbus, MS, 39201, United States
The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System is hosting the traveling exhibit Becoming the US: Colonial America to Reconstruction, organized by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, from March 30-May 1, 2026.
Becoming the US is designed to introduce viewers to the beginnings of American history and the skills involved in primary source analysis. Using items from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, it explores individuals, groups, and documents that have contributed to who we are as a country and encourages patrons to think critically about the first-hand accounts of this era.
​The exhibit is open to the public and available for viewing during regular operating hours Monday through Thursday 9am to 6pm, Fridays 9am to 2pm, and Saturdays 9am to 2pm.​
​To learn more about the exhibit, visit www.gilderlehrman.org/programs-and-events/traveling-exhibitions/becoming-united-states-colonial-america-reconstruction.
​For more information on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, visit www.gilderlehrman.org.
​For more information, call the CLPLS at 662-329-5300.

Senior Voice Recital - Zachariah Harden, tenor
2026-03-28 17:30 - 18:30 | Kossen Auditorium (Inside Poindexter Hall)
Join the W Department of Music as we celebrate senior voice major, Zachariah Harden and his academic journey! This event takes place inside Poindexter Hall, is free and open to the public.

Senior Composition Recital - Charles Weathersby
2026-03-26 19:30 - 20:30 | Kossen Auditorium (Inside Poindexter Hall)
Join the W Department of Music as we celebrate senior composition major, Charles Weathersby and his academic journey! This event is free and open to the public.

Monthly budget check-in
2026-03-25 17:00 | Seminar Room B Fant Memorial Libary

1884 Fellow Lessa Harvey's Feminist Book Club: Session 2
2026-03-25 16:00 - 17:00 | Friendly City Books, 118 N 5th Street, Columbus, 39701, United States
Octavia Butler’s dystopian Parable of the Sower is the feminist book club’s next spring read. Whether you are new to speculative fiction or a long-standing fan, join this discussion of Butler’s prescient novel.
1884 Fellow Lessa Harvey began this book club as part of her Nancy Yates Community Engagement internship.

Spring 2026 Recital
2026-03-24 19:30 - 20:30 | Kossen Auditorium (Inside Poindexter Hall)
The W Department of Music is proud to showcase our students’ hard work – please join us for a wonderful evening of music featuring an array of different genres. This event is free and open to the public.

Women’s History Trivia Night
2026-03-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Munson Brothers Trading Post, 301 2nd Ave North, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
Celebrate Women’s History Month with a fun, fast-paced Trivia Night hosted by the Women’s College in collaboration with Munson Brothers Trading Post! Test your knowledge of trailblazing women, landmark movements, pop culture icons, and lesser-known stories that shaped history. Grab a delicious slice of Munson Bro. pizza while you’re at it!

Meet the Author: Elise Smith
2026-03-24 12:30 - 14:00 | Gail P. Gunter Multi-Purpose Room
Meet Art Historian and Author Elise Smith, who will discuss her book Southern Women, Southern Landscapes: Cultural Reflections on the Garden, 1870-1970. All are welcome to attend, but lunch will be provided to the first 20 attendees.

Film Screening: "An Asylum for Mankind"
2026-03-23 18:00 - 20:00 | Nissan Auditorium (Inside Parkinson Hall)
Mississippi University for Women presents “An Asylum for Mankind,” the second episode from the new Ken Burns documentary, The American Revolution.
This episode covers the period from May 1775 to July 1776. New Englanders rush to surround the British Army in Boston, but as war begins Americans find themselves sharply divided. After the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, George Washington of Virginia arrives to command the newly created Continental Army. In July 1776, the Continental Congress issues the Declaration of Independence, insisting on the people’s right to resist tyranny and govern themselves. Learn more about the episode, the key players, and critical documents at PBS.
​The entire documentary is 6 episodes total with each episode running approximately 2 hours in length. The W will show all episodes throughout 2026.
​Admission is free and open to the public.​
​For more information, call the MUW Department of History, Political Science, and Geography at (662) 329-7390.

NACUSA Concert
2026-03-21 14:00 - 15:00 | Kossen Auditorium (Inside Poindexter Hall)
The W Department of Music and the Mid-South Chapter of NACUSA (National Association of Composers/USA) hosts a concert featuring new compositions. Please join us for a fun afternoon of music! This event is free and open to the public.

Guest Artist Recital - Ellen Elder, piano
2026-03-20 19:30 - 20:30 | Kossen Auditorium (Inside Poindexter Hall)
Please join us for an evening of lovely piano music with our special guest artist, Dr. Ellen Elder! This event is free and open to the public.

Martha Swain Lecture: Reclaiming Women's Power in the American Revolution
2026-03-19 18:00 - 19:15 | Nissan Auditorium – Parkinson Hall
Join the Women’s Center for Research & Public Policy and the Ina E. Gordy Honors College for the 2026 Martha Swain Lecture. Dr. Jacqueline Beatty, Associate Professor of History at York College of Pennsylvania, will present “Reclaiming Women’s Power in the American Revolution,” based on research for her book, In Dependence, which explores women’s petitions for reprieve, economic support, divorce, and manumission over 70 years stretching before and after the Revolution. In cases from Boston, Charleston, and Philadelphia, she argues that women increasingly asserted rights claims, though they did so largely within the framework of an apolitical and dependent femininity.
The Martha Swain Speaker Series brings a distinguished person to campus each March to address issues important to women’s interests, lives, and experiences. This year’s lecture is also part of the America 250 calendar of events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The series is funded with a gift made in honor of Dr. Martha Swain, a scholar of Southern women’s history.

Three Years in the Life of Fannie Lou Hamer: An American Catalyst for Change
2026-03-18 16:00 - 17:00 | Gail P. Gunter Room, Fant Library
Dr. J. Janice Coleman, a quilter, storyteller, and professor of English at Alcorn State University, will be speaking about and displaying her collection of quilts, cotton sacks, and pillows inspired by the life of Fannie Lou Hamer. One quilt she will be displaying features a life-sized image of Mrs. Hamer.
To view some of Dr. Coleman’s works, visit her online museum, the Mississippi Delta Shotgun Sewn Arts Museum at https://mdssam.omeka.net.
This event is part of the Women’s College Colloquium Speaker Series. The theme for the Spring 2026 colloquium series is “Women and the Arts” and honors the Women’s College’s inaugural study away trip to New York City with The W’s Art Department.
