University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign        

Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Women

Annual Report

2004-2005

Submitted by:

Kal Alston
Director, Gender and Women's Studies Program
Chair, CCSW, 2004-2005

I. Committee Membership List

III. Meetings and Discussions

October 5, 2004

October 26, 2004

November 30, 2004

January 25, 2005

March 15, 2005

April 19, 2005

May 6, 2005

IV. APPENDIX 1 - Recommendations

A. Flexible Appointment Structures

CCSW engaged in ongoing conversation about flexible faculty appointments in the tenure track.
CCSW recommends that in 2005-06:

1. A campus team (perhaps a Senate EQ Committee representative and a representative
    of CCSW, and/or a representative from the Provost's Office) should be sent to the
    September 22-23 ACE/Sloan Invitational Conference, An Agenda for Excellence.

2. A new survey with a specific focus on campus goals should be designed, and the
    survey should be distributed and solicited by the Office of the Provost/Chancellor by
    mid-semester in the fall. John Ory has agreed to work with CCSW to design the
    new instrument.

3. CCSW will coordinate a forum during fall semester among the groups (Senate and
    UPE to begin) who have engaged in this discussion over the past two years. The
    resultant recommendations and survey data will be conveyed to the Chancellor
    before spring break.

B. Changes in Advisory Structure

Based on a short study of several of our peer institutions in the CIC with strong programs to assess
and to improve campus climate for women, CCSW makes the following recommendations to you.

1. CCSW will generate a list of data that should be compiled on an annual basis
    regarding the status of all women on campus -- faculty, staff, and students,
    including student, faculty and staff leadership positions held by women.

2. CCSW recommends that some portion of a staff FTE be permanently dedicated
    to compiling an annual report on the status of women. Over time, the collection of
    the data (many sources of which already exist on campus and in the VPAA office)
    will allow for trend analysis and a systematic means for determining the priorities
    for the annual work of the committee.

3. CCSW recommends that the data collected for the BOT 2001 Report serve as a
    source of baseline data collection.

4. Other sources of data include (but are not limited to) the Office of Equal
    Opportunity and Access, Division of Management Information, Office of the
    Provost, Student Affairs, as well as the colleges and schools.

C. Leadership Development

CCSW offers the following recommendations regarding the development of leadership across campus:

1. The Allerton Park program for new administrators should incorporate the idea of
    building cohorts to serve as ongoing resources for new leaders. The Office of the
    Provost should ensure that the continuing education and cohort activities occur
    periodically over the first and second years.

2. A campus program should be established to cultivate future leaders. Of special
    interest to CCSW, of course, is the development of women leaders. To that end
    the committee recommends consideration of a UIUC version of University of
    Michigan's Women's Leadership Institute, which "offers university women an
    opportunity to grow as leaders. Participants come from suprevisory, management,
    and/or administrative leadership positions throughout the University. Using a
    'cohort' method, the Institute builds on the skills and experiences of the women in
    the group to create a learning community that continues beyond the duration of
    the program. The Women's Ledership Institute combines monthly meetings with
    outside readings to cultivate leadership skills within a community of mutual
    learning and support. Meetings include a combination of guest speakers,
    reflection, and group discussion. Guest speakers have been senior women
    leaders and administrators at the University, offering participants a valuable
    opportunity to hear their stories and learn from their experiences."