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 UW-

Madison’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 tenure-track 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 tenure-

track Awards and honors Leadership Development

for academic staff

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 UW-Madison

Interviews with women faculty and staff in S&E

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

WISELI

WISELI

WISELI

Strategies that seem to be working: Involving all stakeholders at all stages,

in multiple formats E.g. Town Hall meetings, senior women faculty,

multiple meetings at all levels (Deans, Schools, Depts, committees)

Empowering Leadership Team 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