For the fourth consecutive year, Coastal Carolina University has been selected as a site for Elect Her -- Campus Women Win, a national program that aims to close the long-standing political leadership gender gap by empowering and training women to run for office at all levels, including leadership positions at colleges and universities.

As the only participating institution in South Carolina, CCU is among 50 colleges and universities selected to host the 2014 program and one of 33 returning campus sites. Other participating universities include: Alabama, Duke, Georgetown, Michigan, North Carolina, Purdue, Syracuse and Virginia, among others.

Nationally, 88 percent of the 2013 Elect Her -- Campus Women Win participants who ran for student government president won, including Coastal's SGA President Kaitlin Page. More than one-third of the CCU students who currently hold SGA positions have participated in the training.

Coastal will hold the daylong training on Saturday, Feb. 1 in the Wall Boardroom. A post-event reception will be hosted by CCU First Lady Terri DeCenzo, who also serves as executive director of Women in Philanthropy and Leadership (WIPL) for Coastal Carolina University. In addition, participants are entered into a drawing to attend WIPL's Women's Leadership Conference and Celebration of Inspiring Women, to be held Feb. 26-27, 2014, at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel.

The Elect Her -- Campus Women Win training is open and free to CCU students; however, participation is limited to the first 50 registrants. Registration will be coordinated through the Office of Student Activities and Leadership and will open in early January.

The university's student liaison for Elect Her -- Campus Women Win is Eliana Padron, a junior majoring in communication. As a result of her participation in the 2013 training, Padron represented Coastal at the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders last summer.

The Elect Her -- Campus Women Win Initiative is a collaboration between the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the nonprofit organization Running Start. For more information about the national program, click here.

For additional information, contact Beth Stedman, associate director for women's programs and initiatives at Coastal Carolina University, at 843-349-2145.