Transcript Document

NSF ADVANCE Institutional
Transformation Award at UW-Madison
Women in Science & Engineering
Leadership Institute (WISELI)
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“… 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)
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General strategy = hit the issues from all
angles and imbed them in every
discussion
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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
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Co-Directors
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Molly Carnes, Prof. of Medicine (Medical School)
Jo Handelsman, Prof. of Plant Pathology (CALS)
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Research Director
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Jennifer Sheridan, Ph.D., Sociology
Leadership Team (6 schools/colleges)
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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
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Eve Fine, Ph.D., Researcher, History of Science
Christine Pribbenow, Ph.D., Evaluation Dir., Ed Policy
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Deveny Benting, Evaluator
Student hourlie
Why a Center?
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Mission cannot be accommodated by a
departmental structure
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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?
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Strategic for securing grant and
establishing campuswide presence
Lack of women a more acute problem
Enthusiastic support of Dean
Supports strategic plan of CoE
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Recruit, support, and retain a world-class
diverse faculty….
Collaborations with other UW-Madison
Programs
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Provost’s Office diversity initiatives (AVC for
Diversity and Climate: Bernice Durand)
The Center for Women’s Health Research (Dir:
Molly Carnes)
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute New Generation
Program (Dir: Jo Handelsman)
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Diversity Affairs Office in the College of
Engineering (Dir: Douglass Henderson)
WISELI Initiatives
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Resources
Workplace Interactions
Life-Career Interface
Professional/personal Development,
Leadership,Visibility
Overarching
WISELI Initiatives:
Resources
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Resource study (new)
Pay equity study (existing)
WISELI Initiatives:
Workplace Interactions
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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
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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
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WISE Dorms (existing)
Women faculty mentoring program
(existing)
“Celebrating Women in Science &
Engineering Symposia” (new)
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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
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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
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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
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Climate Workshops for
Department Chairs
 Workshops for Search
Committee Chairs
 Senior women initiative
 Documentary Video
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Resource Study
 Study of Faculty and
Academic Staff
Worklife at UWMadison
 Interviews with
women faculty and
staff in S&E
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WISELI
WISELI
WISELI
Strategies that seem to be working:
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Involving all stakeholders at all stages,
in multiple formats
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Empowering Leadership Team
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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
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Success in valued metrics: publications and grants (e.g.
LSAMP, AGEP, NIH Roadmap)
Strategies that seem to be working:
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Bringing the data back to the participants
Matching the messenger to the message
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E.g. Engineering faculty present to College of
Engineering
Collaborating with other diversity efforts
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Keep gender in the diversity discussions;
Keep diversity in gender discussions
What doesn’t/didn’t work
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Workshops only from Campus
Administration (UW-Madison is steeped in
faculty governance)
Bringing in an “institutional coach”
Summary
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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