Archive for 2017
Joanne Chory Awarded a $3 Million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
Joanne Chory is a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California and an adjunct professor of biological science at the University of California, San Diego. She was honored for “discovering how plants optimize their growth, development, and cellular structure to transform sunlight into chemical energy.”
Three Universities Announce the Appointment of Women to Dean Positions
Carey L. Usher is the new dean of the Mary Baldwin College for Women at Mary Baldwin University in Virginia. Kathy Farrell was appointed dean of the College of Business at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Karen Pederson was named dean of the Global Campus at Kansas State University.
Harvard’s Michele Lamont Awarded the 2017 Erasmus Prize in Amsterdam
Professor Lamont was honored for her “devoted contribution to social science research in the relationship between knowledge, power, and diversity.” She was honored at a ceremony in Amsterdam presided over by King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands.
Three Women Who Have Been Appointed Chairs of Academic Departments
Lesley Curtis was named chair of the department of health sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine. Mary Taylor is the new chair of the department of pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Andria Costello Staniec was appointed chair of the department of civil and environmental engineering at Syracuse University in New York.
A Quartet of Women Scholars Who Have Been Awarded Notable Honors
The honorees are M. Shawn Copeland of Boston College in Massachusetts, Carrie Menkel-Meadon of the University of California, Irvine, Susan Bazyk of Cleveland State University in Ohio, and Mary Jo Fayoyin of Savannah State University in Georgia.
Nine Women Who Have Been Appointed to New Administrative Posts in Higher Education
Here is this week’s roundup of women who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
New Survey Examines Barriers to Women Dropouts Returning to College to Earn Their Degrees
A new study published by the American Women’s College at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, reveals that 76 million adult women in the United States do not have a bachelor’s degree. Many of those 76 million women had started their educational journey, but were unable to graduate as a result of various life factors.
Brown University’s Jill Pipher Elected as the Next President of the American Mathematical Society
Jill Pipher, the Elisha Benjamin Andrews Professor of Mathematics and vice president for research at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, will serve a two-year term as president of the American Mathematical Society, beginning in 2019.
Study Led by University of Massachusetts Scholars Examines Contraceptive Use in Developing Nations
The results of the analysis showed that among women of reproductive age who are married or in a relationship in the world’s 69 poorest countries, only 45.7 percent used modern contraceptive methods. The study did find significant increases in contraceptive use in many African nations over the past five years.
The Next Provost at California State University, Fullerton
Kari Knutson Miller currently serves as associate vice president of international programs and global engagement and dean of University Extended Education at the university. She is also a professor of child and adolescent studies. Dr. Knutson Miller joined the faculty at CalState, Fullerton in 1999.
How Two-Year and Four-Year Colleges Differ on Sexual Assault Prevention Efforts
A new report from EVERFI, the large educational technology company, examines the differences between community colleges and four-year institutions in how they deal with issues of drug and alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct and sexual assault, and mental health issues.
Mary Lynn Boscardin Chosen to Lead the Council for Exceptional Children
Mary Lynn Boscardin is a professor of special education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Professor Boscardin will serve as president-elect during 2018 and become president of the council on January 1, 2019.
Recent Books of Interest to Women Scholars
Women in Academia Report regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. Here are the latest selections.
Online Articles of Interest to WIAReport Readers
Each week, Women in Academia Report will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.
Two Women Administrators in Higher Education Have Stepped Down
Peggy Quinn, president of Kaskaskia College in Centralia, Illinois, has resigned her positioned with seven months remaining on her three-year contract and Christine Sheets, assistant vice president in the Division of Student Affairs at Ohio University in Athens, has retired.
In Memoriam: Joan Kain, 1927-2017
oan Kain, who served for 17 years on the biology department faculty at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, held master’s degrees from Marquette University, the University of Northern Arizona, the University of Minnesota, and Macalester College.
Grants or Gifts Relating to Women in Higher Education
Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.
Mary Baldwin University Reaffirms Its Commitment to Women’s Education
Although it is transitioning to co-education, Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia, has announced several initiatives to reaffirm its commitment to educating young women.
Three Women Appointed to Distinguished Professorships at the State University of New York
The three women named to Distinguished Professorships at SUNY are Lina M. Obeid at Stony Brook University, Jean H. Quataert at Binghamton University, and JoEllen Welsh at the University at Albany.
Smith College’s Calculus Training Groups Aim to Increase Retention in STEM Disciplines
The calculus training groups were established in 2016. Four women training groups meet for an hour each week outside of class to review assignments and practice skills, Peer mentors, who are paid for their work, help guide first-year students through their mathematics assignments.
Seven New Women Faculty Members in the Humanities at Yale University
Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut has announced that there are seven new women faculty members in humanities disciplines this fall. They are Rizvana Bradley, Deborah Coen, Aimee Meredith Cox, Naomi Levine, Elise Morrison, Eda Pepi, and Ana Ramos-Zayas.
Five Women Scholars Taking on New Faculty Assignments
Appointed to new faculty roles are LaShanda Korley at the University of Delaware, Julie A. Alison at Pittsburg State University in Kansas, Cherrie Moraga at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Alison Curseen at Boston College and Sonya Clark at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Temple University’s Sara Goldrick-Rab Wins the 2018 Grawemeyer Award in Education
This year the $100,000 Grawemeyer Education Award was given to Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor in the College of Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. Professor Goldrick-Rab is being honored for her research on financing higher education.
Three Women in New Positions in the Office of the Provost at Northwestern University
Jonathan Holloway, provost at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, has announced a series of new appointments in the Office of the Provost. Three of these appointments went to women: Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, Andrea Bueschel, and Mariana Kepka.
Two Women Scholars at the University of Nevada Win Book Awards
Sarah Jane Blithe, an assistant professor of communication studies, was honored by the National Communication Association and Greta de Jong, professor of history at the university, received a book award from the Southern Association for Women Historians.
New Administrative Appointments for Five Women in Higher Education
Taking on new administrative roles are Patricia A. Schoknecht at Bates College in Maine, Dana Hinojosa at the University of California, Davis, Tineke Battle at Pennsylvania State University, Helene O’Leary at Indiana University in Bloomington, and Shontay Delalue at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Five Women Scholars Honored With Prestigious Awards
The honorees are Mary Elizabeth Hatten of Rockefeller University in New York City, Laura Micheletti Puaca of Christopher Newport University in Virginia, Beth Wilson of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, Nicole Lautze of the University of Hawaii, and Kelli McMahan of Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Study Finds Sexual Assault Rates Are Higher in the General Population Than on College Campuses
A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan finds that one in four women in the United States will experience forced intercourse by the time they’re 44 years old. But women who have no or little college education are 2.5 times as likely to have experienced forced sexual intercourse than women with a four-year college education.
Alison Morrison-Shetlar to Lead Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina
A native of Scotland, Dr. Morrison-Shetlar currently serves as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. She is also a tenured professor of biology. Professor Morrison-Shetlar joined the faculty at Western Carolina University in 2014. From 2010 to 2014, she was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Elon University in North Carolina.
In Medical Research, Gender Differences Are Explored More Often When Women Are on the Research Team
A new study conducted by researchers at Stanford University in California and Aarhus University in Denmark, finds that when women participate in the publication of a medical research paper, the research is significantly more likely to deal with gender differences in the way people react to diseases and treatments.
Three Women Scholars Appointed to Positions as Deans at Major Universities
Wendy Fritzen Hensel is the new dean of the College of Law at Georgia State University. Sonia Hirt was appointed dean of the College of Environment and Design at the University of Georgia and Lisa Rosen-Metsch was named dean of the School of General Studies at Columbia University in New York City.
Study Examines Why College Men Engage in Unwanted Sex With Women
Author Jessie Ford says that “men are motivated to have unwanted sex through a process where they try to avoid embarrassing themselves or their partner and seek to behave in interpretable ways. In particular, men consent to unwanted sex because accepting all opportunities for sexual activity is a widely accepted way to perform masculinity.”
Kalindi Vora Appointed Director of the Feminist Research Institute at the University of California, Davis
The Feminist Research Institute is a collaborative, trans-disciplinary hub for exploring how gender, sexuality, race, and other social structures inform the design, execution, and interpretation of research. Among the institute’s current research projects are working groups on soil health, radical mycology, feminism and precision medicine, and speculative ecofeminist futures.
In Memoriam: Peggy Sue Caudle Vining, 1929-2017
Peggy Sue Caudle Vining was the poet laureate of the state of Arkansas and served for 21 years as the director of the Children’s Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Recent Books of Interest to Women Scholars
Women in Academia Report regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. Here are the latest selections.
