The Importance of Faculty Role Models for Women Graduate Students in STEM Fields

Researchers at the University of Kansas and the University of Alabama have conducted a study which shows that universities in the United States that have a large percentage of women in faculty and administrative positions in STEM fields tended to have higher percentages of women among their master’s degree recipients in STEM disciplines. The results held true in most STEM fields, but not in computer science and engineering.

Amanda Ostreko, program director of graduate enrollment in the Office of Graduate Studies at the University of Kansas and the lead author of the study, observed that having women in faculty and administrative posts made institutions more attractive to potential women students. “Women will choose a graduate program where they can see themselves fitting,” according to the study.

Dr. Ostreko received her doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Kansas in 2012.