Mission
CoRE (Community of Replenishment & Empowerment) supports and empowers feminists working in academia and industry. Our multi-day retreats are organized around themes of relevance to sustaining the feminist spirit, by which we mean the communal effort to enhance gender inclusion and equity. In a relaxed and safe environment, retreat participants share and discuss dilemmas, experience invigoration and empowerment to tackle their dilemmas, and build community.
Multi-Day Retreats
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Empowering Discussions
Fostering Community
Retreat Format
The general effectiveness of CoRE retreats derives from their unusual format and process. Retreats are typically 2-3 days (as described below) but can be 1 day. Participants live, work, play, and eat together in residential settings, and are pampered even as they share accommodations.
Day 1
Starts in the afternoon or evening with a shared meal, introductions, and a community-building activity.
Day 2
During two work sessions, participants have 30 minutes each to present and discuss a dilemma of personal import relevant to the theme of the retreat. Additional time at the end of each work session is devoted to continuing discussions.
Unscheduled free time for relaxation, adventures, and shared meals promotes ongoing discussions and building community.
Day 3
Is similar to Day 2 and also includes a closing ceremony for participants to achieve closure, both substantively and emotionally.
2025 Retreats
May 23- May 25
Women in Transition
Organizers: Peggy Stockdale & Betsy Shoenfelt
Location: Montreat, NC
Oct 14 - Oct 17
DEIfying Resistance in the Academy
Organizer: Rebeca Burciaga
Location: Pacific Northwest
June 13 - June 15
Obligations of Feminist Scholars Amidst Rising Fascisms
Organizers: Cindy Cruz, Michelle Fine & Ella Ben Hagai
Location: Oaxaca, Mexico
Nov 7 - Nov 9
Dilemmas of Postdoctoral STEMM Scholars in the Current Times
Organizers: Faye Crosby, Ólöf Einarsdóttir, Susan Strome
Location: Long Beach, CA
Oct 3 - Oct 5
Supporting Women in Technology and Business Through the Changes of GenAI
Organizers: Sigal Geno & Ina Goldberg
Location: Upstate New York
Dec 9 - Dec 12
Feminist Dilemmas of Transdisciplinary Academics
Organizers: Erin Elisson & Lily House-Peters
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Retreat Questions
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What is the cost of a retreat, and how much does CoRE cover?CoRE covers the cost for retreat housing and meals, which for a typical 10-person retreat is ~$4000. Retreat participants are expected to cover the cost of getting to the retreat site or the nearest airport. Depending on the retreat site, for those who fly, CoRE can help arrange for ground transportation from and back to the airport. We welcome voluntary pay-it-forward donations from retreat participants, to help fund future retreats.
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How do I propose a retreat?We welcome ideas for retreat themes and possible leaders, participants, and retreat sites. See the CoRE Retreat Handbook for details about organizing a retreat and the funding model. To propose a retreat, please fill out this google form and submit it for consideration by November 1 for Spring and Summer retreats. We will decide which retreats to sponsor in December/January. For questions, please email Ella Ben Hagai (ebenhagai@fullerton.edu).
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How do I indicate interest in participating in a future retreat?We plan retreats around themes of relevance to improving gender inclusion and equity and supporting and empowering feminists working in academia and industry. Please email Susan Strome (sstrome@ucsc.edu) if you see past retreats whose themes interest you or wonder about the next year’s offerings of retreats.
100+
Retreats Hosted
600+
Participants
8-12
People Per Retreat
Gallery
Images from past retreats
Recent Articles
Stories and Conversations About CoRE.
Leadership
CoRE is led by a Leadership Collaborative, which identifies themes for CoRE retreats, retreat organizers, and possible participants, and is supported by an administrative assistant.
DR. ELLA BEN HAGAI
Associate Professor of Social Psychology
California State University, Fullerton
DR. PEGGY S. STOCKDALE
Professor of Psychology
Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis
DR. KAREN OTTEMANN
Professor of Microbiology
University of California, Santa Cruz
DR. SUSAN STROME
Professor Emeritus of MCD Biology
University of California, Santa Cruz
DR. DELIA SAENZ
Vice Chancellor & Chief Diversity Officer
University of California, Merced
DR. IRIS BLANDÓN-GITLIN
Professor of Psychology
California State University, Fullerton
To donate to CoRE’s mission to support and empower women and feminists in academia and industry, visit the Donate site. You can donate to the CoRE (Nag’s Heart) Retreat Support fund, which directly covers retreat costs. Or you can help grow our endowment by typing in Nag’s Heart/Core Endowment, which provides annual pay-outs toward supporting retreats. Donations are managed by UC Santa Cruz, a 501(c)3 organization. Each retreat costs CoRE ~$4000; the cost per person is ~$400. We welcome a donation of any amount.
Empowering Communities Together
Donate to CoRE
Contact Us
To express interest in attending, organizing or housing a retreat or to share ideas for retreat themes:
Please contact Susan Strome (sstrome@ucsc.edu).