Task Forces on Status of Women 1988-1999

1980’s

The Georgia State University Committee on Faculty Concerns was established in 1988 by Thomas Brewer, Vice President for Academic Affairs. In 1989, the committee presented its first Status Report on Faculty Women at Georgia State University that contained 24 recommendations.

1990’s

In 1991, the committee was restructured to become the Task Force on Faculty Women’s Concerns, chaired by Mary Radford and Linda Bell.

The 1992-1993 Report on the Status of Faculty Women: Measurements and Recognition of Performance was funded by a grant from the Provost’s Office under Provost Tom LaBelle.

Georgia State University also participated with four other Georgia universities for the InGEAR Project: Integrating Gender Equity and Reform. GSU’s InGEAR Director Dr. Molly Weinburgh, and strand leader, Dr. Beth Farokhi, were principal investigators of a climate study for women. The report, Issues Dealing with Gender Equity: Institutional Self-Study 1990-1998, identified institutional factors that affect advancement for women faculty, administrators, and staff and included recommendations supported by the AofW taskforce committee. A brief of the InGEAR Report (Highlights) is available.

In 1999 the Ad Hoc Task Force on the Advancement of Women, appointed by the Provost and chaired by Marjorie Fine Knowles, was charged with developing an action plan to assist more women in preparation for senior academic administration. The Ad Hoc Task Force on the Advancement of Women report was issued in May 1999.

Advancement of Women Office Established in 1999

The Office for the Advancement of Women (AofW) was established with the charge to execute the recommendations in the Ad Hoc Task Force on the Advancement of Women report. As recommended in that report, the first Senior Faculty Associate for the Advancement of Women, Dr. Pauline Rose Clance, Professor of Psychology, was appointed and served in this position from 1999 – 2003. Following its directives from the Task Force Report, AofW activities focused on two tracks: 1) women academics (e.g., Faculty, Chairs, Deans, VP, Associate & Assistant Provosts), and 2) women administrators (e.g., Non-Faculty Administrators and Staff). Four primary areas – recruitment, career development, university policies, data collection, and reporting – were identified in the Task Force Report. Additionally, Georgia State University Senate endorsed the Policy for the Advancement of Women into Academic Administration.

During these years, the AofW created meaningful programming for women staff. This included leadership development programming for women staff from 2005 and becoming the Executive Leadership Academy for Women (ELAW) in 2012.

The Women’s Mentoring Program was also established to inspire, empower, and support women staff at Georgia State University through mentoring, training, and networking.

In 2018, the Women Inspire Speaker Series was integrated into the AofW. Previously established through a co-sponsorship of the Office of the Provost and the Women’s Philanthropy Initiative, this speaker series provides a platform for outstanding Georgia State women faculty to share their research with a broader Georgia State audience.

Today

The Advancement of Women’s Office is no longer in existence. Still, its programming continues, and the support for women in higher education also continues through the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Advancement of Women Council.