A progress report on efforts to ensure that women engaged in research, teaching and learning at Vanderbilt are supported and succeeding will be the focus of a town hall on Sept. 25.
Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente established the Provost’s Steering Committee for Initiatives Focusing on the Status of Women in 2018. The committee, now known as the Provost’s Women’s AdVancement and Equity (WAVE) Council, will hold a town hall from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Central Library Community Room.
The Provost’s WAVE Council is charged with examining the university’s practices, culture and support structures for women across all academic affairs units. The council will also make recommendations for progressive and innovative solutions to help faculty, postdocs and students, regardless of their gender identity, reach their full potential. The council meets monthly to report, discuss and synthesize subcommittee efforts.
At the town hall, Cindy D. Kam, chair of the Provost’s WAVE Council and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Political Science, will briefly discuss the overall goals of the council. Following Kam’s remarks, representatives from the council’s four subcommittees will give updates on work surrounding their key thematic pillars—institutionalized professional practice; campus climate; compensation equity; and parental leave, childcare and family-friendly policies.
The remainder of the town hall will invite those in attendance to raise questions and dialog with council members. “The Provost’s WAVE Council must reflect and amplify the concerns and aspirations of Vanderbilt’s faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students,” Kam said. Members of the council hope to hear from and engage with colleagues across campus at the town hall and beyond.”
The Provost’s WAVE Council is working in partnership with the Staff Steering Committee for Women’s Initiatives, which is charged with studying and addressing key issues facing women staff on campus. The Staff Steering Committee, co-chaired by Cara Tuttle Bell, Shunta Curry and Jenny Mandeville, will host a series of listening events for the university community throughout the 2019-2020 school year with additional details to follow.
For more information on the Sept. 25 town hall, email women@vanderbilt.edu.