The University of Georgia has embarked on its Women’s Leadership Initiative in an effort to increase the number of women in leadership roles in all areas of the university. The university reports that the percentage of women in leadership posts has remained flat for the past decade.
Among the new policies aimed at increasing the number of women in leadership roles are new recruitment and hiring policies where faculty chairs and administrators with hiring authority are trained in the best practices for encouraging the recruitment of a diverse, qualified applicant pool.
The university also has established the Women’s Leadership Fellows program. A select group of women faculty members will be chosen as fellows and undergo a yearlong series of seminars, discussion groups, and workshops to prepare them for academic leadership positions. The university will also hold a series of Women’s Leadership lectures that will focus on gender-based challenges in the university workplace.
The university will also hire a work-life resources coordinator and build an online center to help women faculty and administrators with issues concerning childcare, wellness programs, telecommuting, and parental leave.
Pamela Whitten, provost at the University of Georgia, stated that “the Women’s Leadership Initiative marks a turning point in how the University of Georgia attracts, retains, and advances its faculty, staff, and administrators. We are putting into place a set of policies and resources to ensure that the gates of opportunity remain open for everyone.”
Dr. Whitten became provost in 2014 after serving as dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University. She holds a Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of Kansas, a master’s degree in organizational communication from the University of Kentucky and a bachelor’s degree in business from Tulane University in New Orleans.