Transcript Document
NSF ADVANCE Institutional
Transformation Award at UW-Madison
Women in Science & Engineering
Leadership Institute (WISELI)
“… a visible, campus-wide entity, endorsed
by top-level administrators, which will use
UW-Madison as a "living laboratory" to
study the problem [of low numbers of
women in high levels of academic science
& engineering] and implement solutions.”
Established as a Center based in the
College of Engineering
Women in Science & Engineering
Leadership Institute (WISELI)
General strategy = hit the issues from all
angles and imbed them in every
discussion
Mount new initiatives that fill gaps in UWMadison’s environment
Evaluate impact of both old and new initiatives
Develop a visible presence on campus
Disseminate best-practices
WISELI People
Co-Directors
Molly Carnes, Prof. of Medicine (Medical School)
Jo Handelsman, Prof. of Plant Pathology (CALS)
Research Director
Jennifer Sheridan, Ph.D., Sociology
Leadership Team (6 schools/colleges)
Center for Biology Educ, Chemistry, Electrical & Computer Engineering,
Engineering Physics, Ed. Policy Studies, English/Linguistics, Industrial
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nursing, Ob/Gyn, Physics, Sociology
Others
Eve Fine, Ph.D., Researcher, History of Science
Christine Pribbenow, Ph.D., Evaluation Dir., Ed Policy
Deveny Benting, Evaluator
Student hourlie
Why a Center?
Mission cannot be accommodated by a
departmental structure
Interdisciplinary (14 departments, 6 schools/
colleges)
Emphasizes the institutional research
focus of WISELI
Establishes potential means for
sustainability beyond ADVANCE funding
Why in the College of Engineering?
Strategic for securing grant and
establishing campuswide presence
Lack of women a more acute problem
Enthusiastic support of Dean
Supports strategic plan of CoE
Recruit, support, and retain a world-class
diverse faculty….
Collaborations with other UW-Madison
Programs
Provost’s Office diversity initiatives (AVC for
Diversity and Climate: Bernice Durand)
The Center for Women’s Health Research (Dir:
Molly Carnes)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute New Generation
Program (Dir: Jo Handelsman)
Diversity Affairs Office in the College of
Engineering (Dir: Douglass Henderson)
WISELI Initiatives
Resources
Workplace Interactions
Life-Career Interface
Professional/personal Development,
Leadership,Visibility
Overarching
WISELI Initiatives:
Resources
Resource study (new)
Pay equity study (existing)
WISELI Initiatives:
Workplace Interactions
Provost’s climate initiative (existing)
Sexual harassment information sessions
(existing)
Workshops for deans and department
chairs (new)
Training of hiring committee chairs (new)
WISELI Initiatives:
Life-Career Interface
Tenure clock extensions (existing)
Dual-career couples (existing)
Campus child care (existing)
Split appointments (existing)
Life cycle research grants (new)
WISELI Initiatives:
Development, Leadership, Visibility
WISE Dorms (existing)
Women faculty mentoring program
(existing)
“Celebrating Women in Science &
Engineering Symposia” (new)
Grant program
WISELI seminar
WISELI Initiatives:
Development, Leadership, Visibility
Leadership development and/or tenuretrack conversion of non-tenure-track
women (new)
Leadership development/mentoring for
senior women (new)
Networks, promote communication,
increase visibility (new)
WISELI Initiatives:
Overarching
Committee on Women in the University
(existing)
WISELI (new)
Video documentation of institutional
transformation (new)
Evaluation/research (new)
Life Cycle Research
Grants
Creating Space
Celebrating Women in
S&E Grants
Conversion to tenuretrack
Awards and honors
Leadership Development
for academic staff
Discourse analysis of
women’s
communication
strategies
Ethnographic study of
gendered interactions
in the laboratory
setting
Interviews with
women engineers at
the beginning of the
career
Climate Workshops for
Department Chairs
Workshops for Search
Committee Chairs
Senior women initiative
Documentary Video
Resource Study
Study of Faculty and
Academic Staff
Worklife at UWMadison
Interviews with
women faculty and
staff in S&E
WISELI
WISELI
WISELI
Strategies that seem to be working:
Involving all stakeholders at all stages,
in multiple formats
Empowering Leadership Team
E.g. Town Hall meetings, senior women faculty, multiple
meetings at all levels (Deans, Schools, Depts,
committees)
Individual meetings; career coaching; sabbatical
support
Keeping the focus on research
Success in valued metrics: publications and grants (e.g.
LSAMP, AGEP, NIH Roadmap)
Strategies that seem to be working:
Bringing the data back to the participants
Matching the messenger to the message
E.g. Engineering faculty present to College of
Engineering
Collaborating with other diversity efforts
Keep gender in the diversity discussions;
Keep diversity in gender discussions
What doesn’t/didn’t work
Workshops only from Campus
Administration (UW-Madison is steeped in
faculty governance)
Bringing in an “institutional coach”
Summary
Gaining and disseminating understanding
about why it is so difficult even when
individuals and institutions are committed
and well intentioned
Hitting the issue from all angles so that
people are “singing it in the shower!”
Working to make WISELI endure to
continue institutional research