Women Students and Postdocs
As part of the university’s continued commitment to fostering a welcoming, inclusive community, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente launched an initiative in August 2018 that focuses on issues facing the broad array of women across the university’s Academic Affairs units.
Similar to the Academic Strategic Plan development process, a steering committee has been charged with considering thematic areas for study and action. Those may investments in raising awareness through programming; interventional strategies to strengthen climate and culture; and changes to organizational structures that will help sustain progress. A subcommittee or working group will be assigned to each theme, reporting up to the steering committee.
Learn more about the Provost’s Women’s Initiative >
Learn more about education and prevention programs >
Learn more about monitoring efforts >
Learn more about the Provost’s Steering Committee for Initiatives Focused on Women >
Learn more about university’s initiative for women staff >
Action Overview
- Spring 2019: Planned and launched/ing follow up surveys for students, postdoctoral trainees, and faculty on campus climate related to sexual harassment to assess progress and determine new actions needed.
- January 2019: Joined the National Academies Action Collaborative as a founding member.
- Aug. 2018: Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente launched an initiative on the status of women. The provost’s initiative focuses on issues facing the broad array of women faculty, students and postdoctoral trainees in the provost’s academic affairs areas (VU-employed or enrolled).
- Feb., March 2018: Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente each publish columns advocating for culture of respect for women and for all members of the community.
- Nov. 2018: 40th anniversary of Margaret Cunniggim Women’s Center celebrated
- June, Nov. 2018: Openly engaged with the National Academies and its report, “Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.” First through a public webinar with the report release in June 2018, and then by hosting Drs. Benya and Magley for a campus visit in November 2018 with numerous public presentations and discussions with faculty, students, postdoc and staff in the sciences. We were one of the first institutions to invite and host them for such discussion
- Spring 2016: Conducted the COACHE faculty survey of all Provost-reporting, VU-employed faculty. The survey provided information on such topics as the nature of work, resources and support, mentoring, interdisciplinary work, tenure and promotion, work and personal life balance, and faculty governance, among others. The survey was completed by 56 percent of the Vanderbilt faculty who were asked to participate, which was a high response rate. A faculty working group conducted the analysis and assessed any gender disparities in faculty satisfaction and campus climate. A set of school/college and university action items were developed in collaboration with stakeholders. Implementation of the actions spans from fall 2016 to present. The COACHE follow up survey will be conducted in spring 2020. Learn more about the many Faculty Development programs that have been launched or are informed by the COACHE survey results.
- Spring 2015: Conducted a campus-wide student campus climate survey on sexual assault and misconduct that resulted in community engaged action steps based on the findings. Implementation of the actions spans from January 2016 to present.
- August 2014: Expanded Project Safe, a longstanding Vanderbilt University program committed to preventing sexual assault as well as other forms of power-based personal violence, into a free-standing center on campus.
- 2009: Established the Provost’s Task Force on Sexual Assault, now the Provost’s standing Sexual Misconduct Prevention Committee.