Author Archive for Editor
Report Finds That 92 Percent of Grades in Women’s Studies Courses at Yale Are in the A Range
A new report authored by Ray Fair a professor of economics at Yale University documents grade inflation for undergraduate students at the university.
Six Women Faculty Members Who Are Taking on New Assignments
Here is this week’s roundup of women faculty members who have been appointed to new positions or given new duties at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@WIAReport.com.
The Latest Cohort of L’Oreal For Women in Science Fellows
L’Oreal USA recently announced the recipients of its For Women in Science (FWIS) Fellowship program, which grants awards annually to five female postdoctoral scientists to support their research endeavors.
Five Women Who Have Been Appointed Deans at Colleges and Universities
The new deans are Stefanie Lindquist at the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis, Kimberly Cavanagh at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, Shalei Simms at the State University of New York at Old Westbury, Amy Fry in the College of Nursing at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, Indiana, and Mary Hatcher-Skeers at Scripps College in Claremont, California.
Laura Godfrey Honored by the American Association of Biological Anthropologists
Dr. Godfrey, professor emerita of anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has conducted research in numerous areas, including primate evolution, paleobiology, functional morphology, evolutionary ecology, and extinction.
Four Women Assigned New Administrative Duties at Universities
Taking on new adminstrative responsibilities are Melinda Carlson at the University of Memphis, Jodi Bailey at Temple University in Philadelphia, Lisa Henderson at New Mexico State University, and Anita Stalling at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
The Linguistic Society of America Recognizes the Work of Princeton’s Laura Kalin
Dr. Kalin joined the faculty at Princeton in 2016. Her research focuses on the syntax and morphology of understudied (and often endangered) languages with a current focus on a group of Neo-Aramaic languages originally spoken in Kurdish areas of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Türkiye.
Three Women Who Have Been Appointed to Endowed Chairs
Liliya Yatsunyk was appointed to the James H. Hammons Chair of Chemistry at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Tara Zahra was appointed the Hanna Holborn Gray Professor of East European History at the University of Chicago and Sonya Grier was named to the Eminent Scholar Chair in Marketing at the Kogod School of Business of American University in Washington, D.C.
A Change in Leadership at Norwich University in Vermont
Karen Gaines was named acting president of Norwich University in Vermont, the nation’s oldest private military academy. Women make up just 28 percent of the undergraduate student body.
More “Hidden Figures” Discovered at the University of Chicago
Researchers at the University of Chicago have identified more than 100 women who worked at the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin in the early 20th century. In an era when few women were able to be professional scientists, these women performed astronomical observations, analyzed data, and published papers.
Megan Nagel Is the New Chancellor of the Greater Allegheny Campus of Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Nagel joined Penn State Greater Allegheny in 2010 as an assistant professor of chemistry. She earned tenure and was promoted to associate professor of chemistry in 2018. Dr. Nagel has served as interim chancellor since June 2022.
Survey Finds Surgical Residents Face a Multitude of Obstacles in Order to Breastfeed
In a survey, more than 40 percent of women surgical residents reported a lack of a dedicated lactation room at work. For those who did have a room to pump breast milk, 37 percent did not have an accessible place to store milk.
Michelle Hanlon to Oversee International Effort on Law Governing Space Solar Power
The International Academy of Astronautics has named University of Mississippi law professor Michelle Hanlon to its permanent committee on space solar power. The IAA formed the Permanent Committee on Space Solar Power to advise on ways of harnessing and delivering sunlight-powered energy from outer space to markets on Earth.
Study Finds Major Gender Disparities in Coaching Positions at the University of Pennsylvania
For men’s teams, there are 15 head coaches, who made an average of $168,346 in fiscal year 2022. In contrast, the 14 head coaches of women’s teams made an average of $111,613 that same year — amounting to a 41 percent gap in pay between the two.
Connie Walton Is the New Leader of Grambling State University in Louisiana
Dr. Walton has been serving as the institution’s provost and vice president for academic affairs and has worked at Grambling for over 30 years. Dr. Walton has been a professor of chemistry at the university. Her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of molecules that exhibit liquid crystalline behavior and polymer synthesis. She holds two U.S. patents.
Six Women Named Mitchell Scholars
The US-Ireland Alliance has announced the 12 members of the George J. Mitchell Scholar Class of 2025. As one of the country’s most prestigious scholarship programs, it sends future American leaders to the island of Ireland for a year of graduate study.
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.
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.
Salem College for Women Participating in Program to Help Student Teachers Gain Licensure
Students accepted into the program receive a stipend of $43,000 during the period when they are completing their student teaching requirements as part of a $4.7 million grant program. Each higher education institution focuses on a different licensure area, and for Salem College, its focus is on elementary educators.
In Memoriam: Sharon E. Barker, 1949-2023
Barker served as the first director of the Women’s Resource Center at the University of Maine from 1991 until her retirement in 2014. In that role, Barker mentored countless students, collaborated with faculty and staff, and served as a liaison with women’s organizations in the community.
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.
Brown University Doctoral Student Wins the 2023 American Library in Paris Book Award
Each year, the American Library in Paris Book Award recognizes a title, published originally in English, “that best realizes new and intellectually significant ideas about France, the French people or encounters with French culture.” Katherine Chen, a doctoral student in English at Brown University is the youngest person and first Asian American to receive the honor.
A Quartet of Women Scholars Assume New Roles at Major State Universities
The four women scholars in new roles are Chieri Kubota at Ohio State University, Carla Pfeffer at Michigan State University, Rosemarie Wesson, at the City University of New York, and Lisa Angeloni at Colorado State University.
Mississippi State University Scholar Honored for Community Engagement by the PCI Foundation
Alexis Gregory, an associate professor in the School of Architecture at Mississippi State University, is the recipient of the 2023 Community Engagement Award from the Chicago-based Precast Concrete Industry Foundation. Since 2001, the PCI Foundation has focused on providing curriculum development grants to schools of architecture, engineering and construction management.
Four Women Who Have Been Appointed Deans
The new deans are Barbara J. Johnson af Perimeter College at Georgia State University, Melissa Rose at the School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Elizabeth Lorang at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, and Marie Hronik-Tupaj is the new dean of STEM at Middlesex Community College in Bedford, Massachusetts.
Lekelia Jenkins Named a Fellow of the International Science Council
Lekelia Jenkins, an associate professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University, has been named a fellow of the International Science Council, the highest honor that can be conferred on an individual by the council.
De’Etra Young Received the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Teaching Award
Dr. Young is associate dean for academics and land-grant programs at Tennessee State University. The award recognizes excellence in agricultural sciences teaching and student engagement.
A Trio of Women Who Have Been Hired to Administrative Posts at Universities
Here is this week’s roundup of women who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to contact@WIAReport.com.
Gender Differences in Workplace Fatalities
New statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that in 2022, 5,486 American workers died after suffering injuries while working. Women made up 8.1 percent of all workplace fatalities but accounted for 15.3 percent of homicides at work in 2022.
The First Woman President of Chowan University in Murfreesboro, North Carolina
Dr. Thomas has been serving as the executive vice president at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia. She began her service there in 2017 as vice president of enrollment management and institutional advancement.
Study Finds Church Congregations Are Largely Unsupportive of Working Women
A new study from Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance finds that working women do not feel supported by their clergy and churches, regardless of whether they’re involved with a more conservative or liberal congregation.
Mississippi University for Women Announces a Name Change
Nora Miller, president of the Mississippi University for Women, announced that pending approval from the state, the university will be known as Mississippi Brightwell University as of July 1. As evidence of the university’s continued commitment to women’s education, the university also announced the establishment of the Women’s College at Mississippi University for Women.
Gender Disparities in Drug Side Effects May Not Be Due to Biology
More than half of Americans routinely take prescription or over-the-counter drugs, but women tend to experience side effects at up to twice the rate of men. The difference historically has been chalked up to biological sex differences, but new research from Harvard’s GenderSci Lab debunks that view.
Claudia V. Schrader Is the New Leader of York College of the City University of New York
A longtime member of the CUNY family, Dr. Schrader has served as president of Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn New York, since September 2018. She has held leadership roles in three CUNY schools and worked has more than 20 years in the system.
In Memoriam: Colleen J. McElroy, 1935-2023
In 1983, Dr. McElroy became the first Black woman to serve as a full-time faculty member at the University of Washington. From 1995 to 2007, Professor McElroy served as editor of The Seattle Review, a literary magazine based at the university.
