Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Women in the Academy: Female Leadership in STEM Education and the Evolution of a Mentoring Web.

2010; Volume: 2010; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

1938-9809

Susan T. Gorman, Meredith C. Durmowicz, Ellen M. Roskes, Susan P. Slattery,

Higher Education Research Studies

Introduction The words quiet crisis, creeping crisis, and gathering storm have been used to describe the status of the United States in an increasingly flat world (Friedman 2006; National Academy of Sciences 2006). In The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Freidman addresses the education gap that is emerging in the United States and sounds an alarm intended to rouse people to action (2006, 323-359). Similarly, Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), the national alliance dedicated to improving undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, has stepped up the urgency of the call for fundamental, long-term, coordinated transformational change of the entire system so as to prepare the United States for the future (PKAL 2006, 1-27). From the perspective of women in the academy, it is of special interest to note that these concerns occur in the context of a gender imbalance in the STEM workforce. Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields and in STEM leadership positions in the United States. For example, data reported in Science and Engineering Indicators 2010 show that only 26% of the college-educated workforce in science and engineering are women (NSB 10-01 2010, 3-32). When considering first-time college freshmen in the national student population, more males (41%) than females (30%) select science or engineering as their intended field of study (NSB 10-01 2010, Appendix Table 2-6). Interestingly, females end up earning 50% of the bachelor's degrees but only 40% of the doctoral degrees in science and engineering (Burrelli 2008, 1; NSF 09-305 2009, 39). In academia 31% of full-time faculty in science and engineering are women, with the preponderance in the life sciences (NSB 10-01 2010, 3-32). Further, only 27% of STEM deans and department heads are women according to the most recent data available from the National Science Foundation (NSF 09-305 2009, 14, 254). There are ample reports in the literature that address the underlying reasons for this imbalance and it is not the purpose of the present paper to add to this body of knowledge. Rather, the question that has emerged in writing the present report is a pragmatic one: given the gender imbalance in the STEM workforce, can be done to encourage, enable, and empower women to engage and be successful in the STEM disciplines? By sharing strategies and results in a case study format, this paper will demonstrate a model for what works with regard to women leaders building and sustaining successful and effective academic programs in STEM and will suggest approaches that may be helpful in working to achieve gender equity in the STEM workforce. CASE STUDY INSTITUTION Stevenson University Stevenson University (SU) serves as the case study institution. Located near Baltimore, Maryland, SU is an independent, comprehensive institution of over 3,400 students pursuing bachelor's and master's degrees whose primary niche is career-oriented liberal arts education. In U.S. News and World Report's 2010 edition of Colleges, Stevenson climbed to the 11th ranking among the Best Baccalaureate Colleges-North Region and again was recognized as one of the nation's Top Up-and-Coming Schools and Schools, Great Prices (U.S. News and World Report America's Colleges 2010). It is worth noting that Stevenson University has been Stevenson University for only two years (since 12 June 2008). After nearly four years of careful deliberation and an extensive vetting process, the institution that had been Villa Julie College for 60 years was redefined from a college to a university with a new name that better reflects its scope and mission. Decades of program development, curricular expansion, enrollment increases, and growth in the size and scope of the campus itself contributed to the recent institutional transformation. This bold and dramatic step is characteristic of the institution well-known in the local community for its entrepreneurial spirit, innovative culture, and responsiveness to the needs of the workforce. …