Student Affairs Learning Community

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Student Affairs Learning Community

• Women in Higher Education

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Who We Are

• Carrie Christian, Residence Life
• Rhonda Laskoski, Academic Support Center
• Lynne Mazadoorian, Academic Support Center
• Karen Quinn, TRiO
• Dawn Soufleris, Student Conduct
• Jeffrey Sulik, Residence Life
• Phyllis Walker, Community Service Center

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Student Affairs Learning Community 2005-2006

• Expected Outcomes
• Build relationships among members
• Perform literature review on topic area
• Create summary report of findings

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Theme Women in Higher Education

• Theme selected under advisement of Vice President
  (Women in Higher Education)
• RIT Realities
• 31 of enrolled students in Fall 2005 were women
  (this varies greatly by college).
• Current graduation rate for women is 65 compared
  to men at 53 (this varies by college).
• Incoming women report having lower overall
  confidence in academic ability, computer and math
  skills, emotional/physical health, and
  intellectual self-confidence, as compared to
  their male peers.

Data from RITs Office of Institutional Research
and Policy Studies and The Cooperative
Institutional Research Program (2005).
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SALC Process

• Initial Meeting and Readings
• Womens Way of Knowing (excerpt) 1
• Perrys Intellectual Scheme (excerpt) 2
• A Nudge is Best (excerpt) 3
• Synthesis, Assessment and Application (excerpt) 4
• Individual Topic Assignments
• Center survey of current services and program
• Investigation of a core area related to women in
  higher education
• Meeting with Mary-Beth and Kit Mayberry about the
  state of womens issues at RIT.

1, 2 4 Love, P. G. Guthrie, V. L. (1999).
Understanding and applying cognitive
development theory. New Directions for Student
Services, No. 88. San Francisco Jossey-Bass. 3
Kloss, R. J. (1994). A nudge is best Helping
students through the Perry scheme of intellectual
development. College Teaching 42 151-58.
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SA Centers _at_ RIT

• What services does your Center provide to women?
• Are there any gaps in services to female students
  that your Center has identified as areas of
  concern?
• What are your Centers perceptions of women at
  RIT?
• Is someone in your Center assigned to assess
  womens issues?
• Do you have any written information that
  addresses specific concerns of women?
• Whats the ratio of male/female staffing in your
  Center?  Whats the female/male ratio of student
  users of your Centers services?
• Are there future initiatives for women that your
  Center hopes to implement?  If so, what are
  they?   Are there any perceived barriers to
  implementation?    

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SA Centers _at_ RIT

• Observations
• Wide variance of services for women (some centers
  provide dedicated services while others
  intentionally do not target by gender).
• Overall sense of responsiveness to needs of women
  when they arise, but there could be more
  coordination across areas. There could be a more
  intentional, focused approach from the division.
• Some programs designed primarily for women are
  poorly attended. Need to balance women only vs.
  mixed population events inclusive of women.

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Core Research Areas

• Womens relationship to
• Leadership
• Higher Education
• Development
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and
  Mathematics)
• Involvement/Engagement
• Athletics
• Greek Life
• International

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LeadershipCollege Female Presidents

• 2001
• 21 Female
• 12 Minority
• 76 Doctorate Degree
• Average Age 57

• 1986
• 9.5 Female
• 8.1 Minority
• 76 Doctorate Degree
• Average Age 52

The American college president (2002). The
American Council on Education. Retrieved
February 10, 2006 from http//www.acenet.edu/AM/T
emplate.cfm?SectionCPATemplate/CM/HTMLDisplay.c
fmContentID11442
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Leadership Nation Wide

• In 1998 only 460 female presidents out of 2,380
  presidents total.
• Average female college president salary averages
  at 200,000.
• Average male college president salary averages at
  300,000.

The Chronicle survey of presidents of 4-year
colleges. (2005, November 4). The Chronicle of
Higher Education. Retrieved February 10, 2006
from http//chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i11/president
surveytables.htm
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Women in Higher Education

• TRENDS IN GENDER EQUITY OF GIRLS AND WOMEN
• Increase in negative attitude of 12th graders
  toward school, particularly among females.
• 2002 higher proportion of males taking AP exams
  in science and calculus, and receiving higher
  scores.
• 2001 females more likely than males to persist
  and attain Bachelor degrees (66/59).
• Females as likely as males to use computers at
  home and at school.

Trends in educational equity of girls and women,
2004. (2005). Educational Statistics Quarterly,
6(4).
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Women in Higher Education

• MINORITIES 2000
• Black women earned 2x as many bachelors degrees
  as black men.
• Less than 50 graduate from college within 6
  years because of tuition cost increases, social
  adjustment issues, lack of academic preparation
  in high school.
• Persistence Factors - family influences,
  financial motivation, mathematics and science
  proficiency, academic advising, quality of
  instruction, availability of faculty.
• Manhattan Institute Report 2/3 of students are
  academically unprepared for college.

Persistence in engineering education Experiences
of first year students at a historically black
university (2005). Proceedings of the 2005
American society for Engineering Education Annual
Conference Exposition.
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Components of Womens Development
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Womens Development

• Core theory on womens development is
  well-developed.
• To fully understand women students development,
  we must include all factors that contribute to
  student development.
• Nationally, there appears to be a strong trend
  towards womens professional and leadership
  development programs.

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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
Fall 2005 RIT Enrollment. Retrieved April 17,
2006 from http//www.rit.edu/wwwits/services/irp
s/data/data/ethnic2005.xls
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Factors that Influence Retention of Women in STEM
programs

• Weed-out system is a long established practice
  in STEM programs and has a more significant
  impact on women. 1
• Traditional college models are competitively
  based and less nurturing. Women are less prepared
  for and/or comfortable than men with a
  competitive model and benefit from praise and
  support. 2
• Factors for success
• Role Models and Mentoring (especially peers).
• Enrollment in Advanced Placement courses in high
  school.
• Strong teacher preparation and training
  pre-college.
• Participation in pre-college workshops and camps.

1 Etzkowitz, H., Kemelgor, C., Uzzi., B. (2000).
Athena unbound The advancement of women in
science and technology Cambridge, UK Cambridge
University Press. 2 National Science Foundation,
(1999). Retrieved February 10, 2006 from
hhtp//www.nsf.gov/pubs/2001/nsf01130/nsf01130.htm
.
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STEM

• WOMEN IN ENGINEERING
• Why do many women drop out of engineering
  majors?
• Not lack of academic ability 2/3 of women who
  left had engineering grade averages of A or B in
  a previous year discouraged by grades even if
  doing well.
• Discouraging academic climate, faculty and peers
  isolation lack of programming experience.
• What are characteristics of women who stay in
  engineering majors?
• Persistence Factors - Self-confidence, Community
  building, Networking.
• Active use of support resources and college
  activities.

• Goodman Research Group, Inc. (2002). Final report
  of the womens experiences in college engineering
  (WECE) project. Cambridge, MA.
• Study indicates that support activities at
  university play a vital role in retaining women
  in engineering majors, Engineers Week. Retrieved
  February 10, 2006 from www.eweek.org/site/News/Ewe
  ek/univ_study.shtml.
• Pieronek, C. McWilliams, L. Silliman, S., Uhran,
  J., Gunty, M., Grat., C., (2005). Beyond the
  numbers A deeper look Into the retention of
  female engineering students. Proceedings of the
  2005 WEPA/NAMEPA Joint Conference.

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STEM

• WOMEN IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
• Experiences and perspectives of women are, in
  part, shaped by their minority and, sometimes,
  token status rather than by gender.
• Gender divide in how men and women relate to
  computing largely due to cultural and
  environmental conditions, little to do with
  gender, misconception of what CS is and who
  computer scientists are, misperceptions of the
  field.
• Success of CMU women _at_School of Computer Science
  action oriented organization, leadership roles
  for women, opportunities to discuss homework with
  roommates late at night and at meals, public
  speaking and community workshop opportunities.

Blum, L., Frieze, C., Hazzan, O., Dias, M (2006).
Culture and environment as determinants of
womens participation in computing Revealing the
women-CS fit. Retrieved April 20, 2006 from
http//www.cs.cmu.edu/7Ecfrieze/SIGCSE_06_final.p
df ADVANCE Increasing the Participation and
Advancement of Women in Academic Science and
Engineering Careers, NSF, 2005.
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Involvement/Engagement of Women

• Student-student interactions have a positive
  correlation to satisfaction with student life and
  leadership development.
• Out of class contact with faculty has a positive
  correlation to academic success.
• Women are more comfortable in environments where
  there is a sizable female population.
• Membership in a sorority does not have any
  significant effects on student satisfaction
  outcomes.

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Women In Greek Life

• Nationally, membership in College Pan-Hellenic
  Groups
• 3,777,160 initiated collegiate or alumnae members
• 79,000 new members in 2005-06
• 2900 undergraduate chapters
• 600 college campuses hosting CPC groups in North
  America (US and Canada)
• 4,600 Alumnae Associations

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Women In Greek Life

• Membership nationally in Greek-letter
  organizations falling
• 34 decline in past 10 years.
• Research competing interests, cost, reputation/
  bad press, technology as basis for decline.
• Very little research regarding proven benefits of
  sorority life for undergrads, except for basic
  need for belonging.

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Women In Greek Life at RIT

• Fall 2005 Scholarship Report
• All-Sorority GPA 3.016
• All-Fraternity GPA 2.633
• All-RIT GPA 3.1
• All Greek Philanthropy Report
• 401 programs (sponsored, co-sponsored, or
  attended)
• 5,366 hours of community service completed
• 11,249.20 donated to various philanthropic
  endeavors

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Women in Athletics

• National issues regarding Women in Athletics
• Title IX and equity
• 525 athletes at RIT
• 50/50 male-female
• NCAA Committee on Womens Athletics
• Senior Women Administrator Role
• Coaches
• National Crisis
• Balance of work, family

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International Women

• International Students tend to be the last to
  seek help (Men and Women). 1
• The difference in the culture is a large
  challenge, but the difference in the classroom
  culture is an even bigger challenge (Men and
  Women).2
• Gap in the literature related specifically to
  international women.
• International Women comprise approximately 3 of
  the student population at RIT and approximately
  4 nationally. 3

• 1 Institute of International Education, Open
  Doors Data. (2005). Retrieved January 28, 2006
  from http//opendoors.iienetwork.org/page/69688.
• 2 3 Kadison, R. Foy DiGeronimo, T. (2004).
  College of the overwhelmed The campus mental
  health crisis and what to do about it. San
  Francisco Jossey-Bass.

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Considerations for the future

• What do women experience at RIT?
• RIT may benefit from further analysis of existing
  survey data by gender. Compare outcomes and
  develop recommendations.
• Who will do this? Task Force? Committee? Next
  SALC?
• How are women growing and changing while enrolled
  at RIT?
• How does/can RIT support womens development at
  RIT?
• How can these be measured?
• What services are being offered specifically to
  women University-wide?
• A services survey could reveal gaps or
  duplication in service.
• Who will do this? Within/beyond SA? Task Force?
  Committee? Next SALC?

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Whats Going on Outside of RIT?

• For students
• http//women.cs.cmu.edu
• http//www.idst.vt.edu/ws/cybergirl2.htm
• http//news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey327set
  appvarpage(1)
• For professionals
• NASPAs Center for Scholarship, Research and
  Professional Development for Women has proposed
  an on-line journal called the Journal of Women in
  Higher Education (JWHE). The projected 1st issue
  date is Feb-March 2007.

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Theories Related to Womens Development

• Cognitive-Structural Development
• Piaget - Intellectual Development
• Kohlberg - Moral Reasoning
• Gilligan - Theory of Women's Moral Development
• Baxter Magolda - Epistemological Reflection Model
  
• Perry - Intellectual and Ethical Development
• Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger and Tarule -
  Women's Ways of Knowing
• King and Kitchner -  Reflective Judgment Model

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Theories Related to Womens Development

• Psychosocial Identity Development
• Chickering - Identity Development
• Schlossberg - Transition Theory
• Cass - Model of Sexual Identity Formation
• DAugelli - Sexual Identity
• Josselson - Women's Identity Development
• Helms - Racial Identity
• Cross - African-American Identity
• Atkinson, Morton Sue - Minority Identity
  Development

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Theories Related to Womens Development

• Typology Environment
• Kolb - Theory of Experiential Learning
• Gardner - Multiple Intelligences
• Holland - Vocational personalities and
  environments
• Myers-Briggs - Personality Types
• Astin - Involvement Theory
• Tinto - Theory of Student Departure