Leadership Development for Faculty Women at The Ohio State University

Abstract

The Problem. Universities struggle to create cultures that provide a welcoming home for women and underrepresented minorities. Department chairs often emerge reluctantly from among the faculty and are ill prepared to engage faculty and staff to achieve deep culture change, yet their role is vital if such change is to occur. The Solution. Recognizing a need for a completely new type of leader, Ohio State created the President and Provost’s Leadership Institute (PPLI) to develop a pool of women and underrepresented minority faculty who might move into leadership positions. The Stakeholders. The PPLI can provide a useful template for HRD practitioners who wish to tailor leadership development and succession planning strategies to address higher education’s unique culture and leadership pool challenges. For institutions interested in broadening the diversity of individuals prepared to lead, and developing leaders prepared to lead change, the PPLI is an example of one successful approach.

Feeling ‘Pushed’ but ‘Clinging on’: Juxtaposing the Perceived Barriers and Support Strategies Used by Women in Leadership Positions in South African Universities

“…Researchers report that the reason that men's successes are often more easily accepted, while women's career successes are questioned, is that men are similar to the people on the selection committees and decision-making bodies of academies. In this way organizational androcentricity is left unchallenged and reproduced (Bagilhole, 2000;Hornsby et al, 2012). PLU theorists maintain that similarity creates empathy and trust.…”

“…Furthermore, it is argued that the emphasis on inter-role conflict serves to maintain the status quo, where men are expected to remain on the peripheries of homemaking activities (Crosby, 1991;Hornsby, Morrow-Jones andBallam, 2012, Hewlett andBuck Luce, 2005;Madsen, 2012).…”

“…This refers to both the reproduction of gender power relations between men and women as well as a culture which assumes the centrality of men and 'masculine' values (Castillo, Baltodano, Carlson, Witcher Jackson and Mitchell, 2012;Chant & Gutmann, 2002;Madsen, 2011, Hornsby et al, 2012. These cultures are the consequence of historical patriarchal norms which determined the social order.…”

“…The culmination of these 'othering' experiences elucidates the perception that there are 'hidden passages' to progress on the academic ladder. These hidden passages negatively affect academic women's career progression (Bagilhole, 2000;Hornsby et al, 2012). The 'othering' and 'outsiderness' experienced by women contribute to their marginalization in the academy and may also contribute to problems with promotion, once entry to the academy is achieved (Evans, 1996;West & Lyon, 1995;Wilson, 1999).…”

Making Changes: Application of an NSF-ADVANCE PAID Grant at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution (PUI)

“…There is now a substantial body of literature on the importance of strategic and contextually-based leadership development. [34][35][36][37] Specifically, the development of leaders cannot occur in isolation, but must occur in one's organizational context, which in this case is the university setting. Women often face additional challenges in leadership roles, such as being exposed to high levels of risk in leadership positions, and lacking the authority or support necessary to accomplish their goals.…”