Vision: What We Strive to Help Indiana University Become
We envision Indiana University as a community of women and men who respect and affirm one another in healthy and violence-free relationships. In our community, access to equal opportunity for women and men of all backgrounds inspires the best research, teaching, service, leadership and entrepreneurship so that new knowledge and abundance are created, suffering is alleviated and wellbeing is exported around the globe
Mission: How We Seek To Accomplish Our Vision
Personal Level: We will develop academic and professional leadership among women faculty, students and staff so that they can utilize their gifts, talents and skills for personal empowerment, professional advancement and societal wellbeing.
Institutional Level: We will identify, establish and advocate for processes, policies and norms so that women will have unparallel opportunities to achieve greatness, lead effectively, to appropriately balance personal and professional responsibilities and to make a positive difference on the global stage.
To Achieve our Mission, OWA will execute the following ten-point plan:
- Establish a Small Business Entity to incubate and develop entrepreneurial activity for women faculty, staff and students on campus and use some of the income for scholarships to support student families; an emergency fund to assist with books and tuition for staff women, who wish to return to school for professional development purposes or to complete already-started degrees.
- Produce the most successful and engaged female scientists in the world through the establishment of a living-learning residential program for female undergraduate science students, a dedicated programming, education, support and interventions for faculty as well as resources for professional development, research and engagement.
- Develop a campus-wide mentoring program, which will provide faculty and staff with the insights, skills and nurturing to obtain tenure, promotion, senior leadership positions at IU and in their professions.
- Establish a zero-tolerance culture against all forms of aggression and violence on campus through education and intervention. Make mandatory an on-line sexual assault education program as well as a 1-credit course on building healthy relationships.
- Develop a leadership training program for female undergraduate students that will: 1.) bring them in contact with successful women from all walks of life; 2.) provide them with skills to serve in campus-wide leadership positions, especially as leaders of IU's Student Government Association and, subsequently and 3.) prepare them for leadership in their chosen fields.
- Design and get approval for: a.) campus-wide policy on access to breastfeeding opportunities; b.) faculty mentoring policy; c.) modified duties policy for female faculty, and d.) campus-wide policy regarding domestic and workplace violence.
- Enhance the life of our community members by supporting families and increasing access to high-quality and affordable child-care for students, staff and faculty that builds on the educational resources at IU in languages, business and science.
- Disseminate successful stories about empowered women faculty, staff and students by using the best technology and print sources available.
- Develop a nationwide network of Deans of Women’s Affairs who will be armed with the latest research and who work collaboratively to enhance as well as empower higher education in America and beyond.
- Educate, empower and partner with campus and community units and administrators in an effort to identify successful best practices, intervene in illegal discrimination and share resources for the betterment of women, our campus and our world.
In an effort to affirm the campus-wide commitment to equal opportunity in the employment and education of women, the Bloomington Faculty Council recommended in 1972 that the Chancellor of the campus establish the Office for Women’s Affairs (OWA). The Dean and the Office were charged with five responsibilities: (i) identifying policies and programs which might discriminate against women and recommending remedial action when necessary; (ii) identifying, receiving, investigating complaints of unjustified discrimination in hiring, salary, promotion, tenure, teaching assignments, committee appointments, administrative assignments and areas relevant to the education of women; (iii) receiving complaints about University personnel who discriminate against women and recommending appropriate sanctions against these personnel; (iv) cooperating with Faculty Board of Review, Bloomington Campus Committee for the Equality of Educational Opportunity and the President’s Commission on Women and (v) preparing annual, public reports about the status of women on campus and the campus’s success in eradicating unjustifiable gender gaps.
Currently, OWA advocates for women and promotes understanding of the issues that directly affect women faculty, staff and students. Using the conceptual framework of empowerment, OWA uses its human capital, financial and social networking resources to empower women and our entire campus community in six areas: (i) professional development; (ii) mentoring (iii) leadership advancement; (iv)recruitment, retention, tenure and promotion through the academic ranks; (v) personal safety; (vi) facilitating high-quality, harassment-free and conducive teaching, learning, working, researching and living environments for all. It partners with units on campus for the design and adoption of policies that facilitate meaningful gender equity and advancement of women at all levels of campus life. OWA also provides confidential support services for faculty, staff and students, awards, scholarship and celebrates the outstanding contributions to gender equity as well as empowerment on and off campus.
Eva Kagen-Kans, Jessie Lovano-Kerr, D’Ann Campbell, Phyllis Klotman, Julia Lamber, Jean Robinson, Terry Dworkin, Catherine Pilachowski and Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh have served as Deans of the office since its founding in 1972.
