George Washington University Making Significant Strides in Adding Women to Its Faculty

George Washington University in the nation’s capital reports that women now make up 41 percent of the full-time faculty. This is a 10 percentage point increase over the past decade. During this period, the university has hired 260 women to tenure or tenure-track positions. Some 60 percent of new faculty hires are women.

Since 2011, the provost’s office at the university has provided incentives for departments to hire more women and minority faculty members. Under the initiative, the university’s general administration will cover half the salary of new women or minority hires for three years.

Charles Garris, chair of the faculty senate at George Washington University, said that “George Washington didn’t become a female-friendly place overnight. Now it’s kind of the culture here.”