Linda Galyon is stepping down as chairwoman for women’s studies, and she will be replaced by Jill Bystydzienski in a newly formed position.

Galyon will be honored with a reception Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. in Room 302 of Catt Hall.

Galyon spent the last four years as chairwoman for women’s studies and will retire at the end of the semester.

“I feel honored to have been able to be the chair,” Galyon said. “This campus has been very outstanding in its support of the women’s studies program.”

During the last four years, Galyon has worked to get women’s studies offered as a major and to make courses available. The program was first offered in 1995, and since then, Galyon said she has made sure that courses were offered and taught by qualified teachers.

“My greatest accomplishment was seeing women graduate proudly and go on to do a variety of things,” she said. “Many of them have gone on to graduate work, careers and marriage.”

Galyon said the position Bystydzienski will be assuming is slightly different than the one Galyon is leaving.

“The new position is expanded from the chair, and now it has more importance and power,” said Galyon, who added that she still plans to work to improve the program.

Bystydzienski also is looking forward to bettering the program.

“I’d like to do a lot of things. This year will be a planning year for me. I plan to plan a retreat for women’s studies and all of those involved,” Bystydzienski said. “There we will plan for the future and where we want to take the program.

“My more immediate goal is to make the program more visible on campus,” she said. “We plan to have newsletters, a Web site and flyers.”

Bystydzienski recently taught at Franklin College in Indiana where she was a women’s affairs officer and chairwoman of the sociology department.

“Today women have more [opportunities] than women have ever had,” she said. “They need to be aware that there are still a lot of obstacles in the workforce that they need to get past.”