President's Summit on Faculty Gender Equity

The President’s Summit on Faculty Gender Equity was held November 6–7, 2002, at the Waterfront Hotel in Oakland. The purpose of the Summit was to convene a small group of senior women faculty at the University of California to discuss issues related to gender equity for faculty and present recommendations for addressing these issues.

Summit Agenda

Wednesday November 6

  • 3:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks: Chancellor Greenwood
  • 4:00 Small Group Discussions – Assessing the Issues
  • 5:30 Reception: President Atkinson
  • 6:30 Dinner Speakers:
    • Senator Speier
    • President Atkinson
    • Chancellor Greenwood

Thursday November 7

  • 9:00 Small Group Discussions – Developing Recommendations
  • 10:45 Large Group Discussion of the Recommendations
  • 12:00 Lunch with President Atkinson: Presentation of the Recommendations
  • 2:00 Adjourn

Participants

  • Kim Barrett, Medicine, UCSD
  • Rosina Becerra, Associate Vice Chancellor Faculty Diversity, UCLA
  • Gayle Binion, Academic Council Chair, Political Science, UCSB
  • Susan Bryant, Dean, School of Biological Science; Developmental Biology, UCI
  • Marsha Chandler, Senior Vice Chancellor, UCSD
  • Linda Cohen, Economics, UCI
  • France Córdova, Chancellor, UCR
  • Anna Everett, Film Studies, UCSB
  • Alison Galloway, Anthropology, UCSC
  • Barbara Gerbert, School of Dentistry, UCSF
  • Carole Goldberg, Law, UCLA
  • Ruth Greenblatt, Epidemiology, UCSF
  • M.R.C. Greenwood, Chancellor, UCSC
  • Virginia Hinshaw, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UCD
  • Hsiu-Zu Ho, Education & Psychology, UCSB
  • Jodie Holt, Chair UCPT, Plant Physiology, UCR
  • Susan Koshy, Asian American Studies, UCSB
  • Katja Lindenberg, Chemistry & Biochemistry, UCSD
  • Manuela Martins-Green, Cell Biology and Neuroscience, UCR
  • Christina Maslach, Vice Provost Undergraduate Education, Psychology, UCB
  • Mary Ann Mason, Graduate Dean, UCB
  • Rachel Moran, Law, UCB
  • Debbie Niemeier, Civil & Environmental Engineering, UCD
  • Deborah Nolan, Chair, UCAAD, Statistics, UCB
  • Sheila O’Rourke, Executive Director and Special Assistant to the Provost, UCOP
  • Maria Pallavicini, Dean of Natural Sciences, UCM
  • Anne Peplau, Psychology, UCLA
  • Barbara Rogoff, Psychology, UCSC
  • Sharon Salinger, Associate Dean, Professor of History, UCR
  • Judith Siegel, Public Health, UCLA
  • Angelica Stacy, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Equity, Chemistry, UCB
  • Leslie Sunell, Assistant Chancellor, UCSC
  • Ellen Switkes, Assistant Vice President, Academic Advancement, UCOP
  • Carol Tomlinson-Keasey, Chancellor, UCM
  • Diane Wara, Associate Dean, Women's Affairs, UCSF
  • Martha West, Law, UCD
  • Michelle Yeh, Chair UCAP, East Asian Languages and Cultures, UCD

Reception and Dinner Guests

  • Jackie Speier, California State Senator
  • Richard C. Atkinson, President, University of California
  • Robert Dynes, Chancellor, UCSD
  • Henry Yang, Chancellor, UCSB
  • C. Judson King, Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs, UCOP
  • Bruce Darling, Senior Vice President, University Affairs, UCOP
  • Larry Hershman, Vice President, Budget, UCOP
  • Larry Coleman, Vice Provost, Research, UCOP
  • Steve Arditti, Assistant Vice President and Director, State Governmental Relations, UCOP
  • Michael Reese, Assistant Vice President, Strategic Communications, UCOP
  • David Ashley, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UCM
  • Paul Gray, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UCB
  • Gene Lucas, Acting Executive Vice Chancellor, UCSB
  • John Simpson, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, UCSC
  • Dorothy Bainton, Vice Chancellor, UCSF
  • Diana Cifelli, Executive Assistant to the President, UCOP
  • Jenny Kao, Special Assistant to the President, UCOP
  • Vincent Stewart, Legislative Director, State Governmental Relations Office, UCOP
  • David Russ, Treasurer of the Regents, UCOP
  • Leigh Trivette, Secretary of the Regents, UCOP

Discussion Group Topics

Hiring, advancement and retention in fields where there are few women in the pool and among UC faculty (math, engineering and sciences).

This group will discuss the challenges associated with the under-representation of women in fields such as math, engineering and the sciences. Possible topics for discussion:

  • Successful models for increasing the numbers of women in Ph.D. programs in these fields;
  • The role of postdoctoral training in creating opportunities/barriers for women in these fields;
  • Identify factors contributing to hiring women below the rate of their availability in fields where the availability is already low;
  • Advancement and retention of women in these fields, subtle forms of bias as described by the MIT Report on the School of Science;
  • Access to research opportunities, research equipment, laboratory space and other forms of research support;
  • Identifying and addressing unconscious bias;
  • Developing procedures to ensure fairness in hiring and advancement;
  • Ensuring accountability for gender equity at all levels;
  • Addressing issues facing women of color in these fields;

Hiring, advancement and retention in fields where women are present in the pool but underutilized among UC faculty (humanities, social sciences and professional schools).

This group will discuss the challenges associated with the underutilization of women in the humanities, social sciences, and professional schools. Possible topics for discussion:

  • Successful models for increasing hiring of women in departments where the number of women faculty is persistently below the national availability;
  • Strategies for addressing identified disparities in compensation, promotion, and advancement;
  • Identifying factors leading to the gap between availability pools and applicant pools and strategies for closing the gap;
  • Identifying and addressing unconscious bias;
  • Developing procedures to ensure fairness in hiring and advancement;
  • Ensuring accountability for gender equity at all levels;
  • Addressing issues facing women of color in these fields;

Improving campus climate and working conditions for women faculty (family friendly policies, tenure clock and career path, etc.).

This group will discuss the general climate at UC for women faculty and the UC policies regarding childbearing, childrearing, tenure and others that impact the careers of women faculty. Possible topics for discussion:

  • Identifying climate issues for women faculty on UC campuses and successful models for addressing such issues;
  • Identifying policies and practices which may create barriers to hiring, advancing, and retaining women faculty at UC;
  • Identifying barriers that may result from the implementation (or lack thereof) of policies regarding working conditions for women faculty;
  • Identifying work/life issues that may prevent women graduate students from pursuing an academic career;
  • Successful models for eliminating unintended barriers from academic personnel policies and benefits programs;
  • How climate issue for women of color may be similar or different and successful models for addressing these issues;

Building academic leadership.

This group will discuss (1) the role that academic leaders can play in promoting diversity, and (2) the challenges associated with the under-representation of women among the academic leadership. Possible topics for discussion:

  • Identifying the causes and effects of the under-representation of women faculty in academic leadership;
  • Developing successful strategies for increasing the number of women faculty in academic leadership positions;
  • What are the issues facing women of color in academic leadership positions?
  • What can men and women in leadership positions do to promote gender equity?
  • Accountability in leadership- how shall leaders be evaluated?
  • Selecting leaders – ensuring a commitment to equity and fairness
  • What are the barriers to women when they serve in leadership positions?