International House and Bayer HealthCare Partner to Prepare Women for Leadership Positions

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare, one of the world's leading innovative healthcare companies, has awarded a $50,000 grant to support the Women's International Leadership (WIL) Program at International House.  This is one of several external partnerships that Bayer HealthCare has established as part of its own Women's Leadership Initiative, which was launched in 2008 to further develop an environment that fosters the development of senior female leaders.

The WIL Program is a landmark leadership training program at I-House, the 87-year-old residence and program center for U.S. and international graduate students, trainees and interns in Morningside Heights.  Eighteen women from thirteen countries were chosen to participate in the 2011-12 WIL Program.  Since its inception in 1990, more than 300 women from a variety of cultures and disciplines have participated in the merit-based scholarship program.

Designed to enhance graduate study with practical training, the WIL program features a series of seminars, skills-based leadership instruction, networking receptions, public speaking workshops, a mentor project, field experience in multicultural communities, and conflict resolution and negotiating technique coaching. The program culminates in WIL Week, a week-long series of events, presentations and performances designed and executed by the eighteen selected grantees for the entire I-House community.

The Bayer HealthCare grant will cover a substantial portion of WIL's operating budget, including program-related activities, publications, networking activities and allocated staff salaries.  Bayer HealthCare executive Tricia McKernan will also join the WIL Advisory Council, a group of ten professionals and experts in their fields who select the grantees and provide guidance for the program.

In addition to financial support, Bayer HealthCare will have the opportunity to collaborate with International House on the programming for WIL throughout the year. Previous programming highlights have included sessions for the entire community on career planning, interview skills and resume-writing workshops. Bayer employees will also be offered the chance to volunteer their time as mentors and role models and share their expertise in the global markets.  "International House is fortunate to be gaining such a dynamic partner as Bayer HealthCare," said I-House President Donald L. Cuneo. "We look forward to working with Bayer HealthCare to support and celebrate many generations of exceptional women at International House."

About International House

A vibrant community of more than 700 students and trainees who hale from over 100 countries each year, International House was founded by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and the Cleveland H. Dodge family in 1924.  Its mission is to provide its carefully selected residents with a challenging and supportive residential community that promotes mutual respect and friendship among individuals of all nations and backgrounds.

An independent, non-profit organization, I-House achieves its mission by supporting cross-cultural understanding and international education and encouraging daily interaction between people of many cultures. Residential life at International House is designed to foster diversity of thought and experience, and to prepare leaders for the global community.

To learn more about International House, please visit http://www.ihouse-nyc.org

About Bayer HealthCare

The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health by diagnosing, preventing and treating disease.

To learn more about Bayer HealthCare, please visit www.bayerhealthcare.com

SOURCE Bayer HealthCare