Education Commons^™

So You Want To Be A Leaders In Higher Education? Developing Leadership As Women (Professional Development Workshop), Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

This insightful and innovative PDW will 1) describe some of the results of a qualitative research study on the leadership development of ten women university presidents, and 2) provide participants with an opportunity to engage in self-analysis and personal reflection. "Leadership" will be broadly framed as leading from a formal position (e.g., president, VP, dean, associate dean, department chair, or committee chair) as well as influencing without an official title or formal authority; therefore, conference attendees interested in influencing change at any level in higher education would benefit.

Diversification Of A University Faculty: Women Faculty In The Mit Schools Of Science And Engineering, Nancy Hopkins

New England Journal of Public Policy

A broadly diverse faculty is critical to MIT’s educational mission, and significant efforts have been made to achieve a faculty whose diversity reflects that of the students we train. To assess the success of some of these efforts, I examined the percentage of women faculty in the Schools of Science and Engineering over time. In Science, the increased number (and percentage) of women faculty today is the consequence of: pressures associated with the civil rights movement in the early 1970s; unusual efforts between 1996 and 2000 by former Dean of Science Bob Birgeneau in response to the 1996 Report on …

Women In Power, Margaret A. Mckenna

New England Journal of Public Policy

The country is filled with powerful women, but women in power remain significantly underrepresented across a variety of professional fields, in business, academe, politics, and the media. With more women enrolled in colleges today than men, continued underrepresentation of women in leadership roles throughout society is not just morally unacceptable, it is economically damaging. The nation needs to maximize all human capital, in order to meet our own challenges and stay competitive in this global economy. Young women need to be supported in developing the knowledge and skills necessary for being leaders and catalysts for change. Reflecting on a career …

Numbers Are Not Enough: Women In Higher Education In The 21st Century, Sherry H. Penney, Jennifer Brown, Laura Mcphie Oliveria

New England Journal of Public Policy

Women are now the majority of students in institutions of higher education in the United States, and in many ways women as students and faculty have seen significant progress. But numbers do not tell the whole story. Subtle forms of discrimination continue to exist, and the higher up the pyramid you go, the fewer women are to be found, whether among tenured faculty, as presidents and provosts or as board members and board chairs. Many steps can be taken to improve the situation. Some institutions are recognizing that. We note some positive changes and discuss areas where improvement is needed. …

Editor's Note, Padraig O'Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

In 1990, the New England Journal of Public Policy published a special issue on Women. The subject was women & economic empowerment. The authors found that while women had made significant gains during the 1970s and 1980s in many spheres relating to the workplace, true equity with respect to their male peers was still elusive, and gender bias, despite remedial legislation, continued to be the acceptable norm.

Seventeen years on, another group of women, under the direction of guest editor Sherry H. Penney, herself a contributor to the 1990 journal, looks anew at some of these issues and expands the …

Women University Presidents: Career Paths And Educational Backgrounds, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

The purpose of overall research study was to explore the “lived experiences” of women university presidents in developing (throughout their lives) the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies required for successful leadership in higher education. The objective of this particular paper is to report qualitative research results focused on the career paths and educational backgrounds of these women presidents.

Leadership Philosophies And Styles Of Women University Presidents, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Although progress has been made, it remains clear that women are still underrepresented in administrative positions in all types of higher educational institutions throughout the world. While the issue is often now addressed in the literature, there are still few articles reporting research findings on the experiences and perceptions of university presidents, particularly women. Ten women university presidents were interviewed using the phenomenological research methodology. This paper reports the results of this research related to the presidents’ perceptions of their own leadership styles and philosophies.

Learning To Lead In Higher Education: Insights Into The Family Backgrounds Of Women University Presidents, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experiences of women university presidents related to becoming leaders or learning to lead. This manuscript highlights the research focused on the immediate family backgrounds and influences on these presidents. The research question was as follows: With regard to their family backgrounds and influences, what are the lived experiences of women university presidents related to developing into the leaders they have become today?