Industry Gender Equity `Best Practices’ Can Work for Universities, Too

January 3, 2000

University Park, Pa. --- Industries can teach universities a thing or two about gender equity issues, according to the final report of the "Tackling the Engineering Resources Shortage: Creating New Paradigms for Developing and Retaining Women Engineers" conference.

"Universities lag behind in the development of effective internal climate assessments (with results-oriented follow-ups); in the development of effective management training and mentorship activities; and, perhaps most important, in the training of men (students, faculty and staff) to understand the benefits of a diverse learning and/or work experience," the introduction to the conference Proceedings notes. "One obvious result is the general underrepresentation of women at all but the lowest levels of university faculties and administration and not only in engineering."

The introduction, published Dec. 1, adds, "Industry's work in developing reward and recognition for community service is eminently noteworthy and transferable to the academy. Best practices -- including telecommuting, flex time, reward for time spent in community service, and clock stoppages -- must be carefully documented, regularly evaluated, shared and used, and moved forward."

Priscilla Guthrie, conference chairperson, and vice president/general manager, at TRW Systems & Information Technology Group, one of the conference sponsors, says, "I was surprised at the lag in academia. Things haven't advanced very much since I was in school.

" On the other hand we, in industry, may be ahead but we haven't taken advantage of all of the research that's been done - especially the research that's been done in academia. There's a lot more out there than any of us thought. We need to take advantage of it."

Guthrie notes, "We're not going to solve these problems from any one point of view. They won't be solved from the industry-only point of view or from the female-only point of view or from the academic-only point of view."

Barbara Bogue, director of Penn State's Women in Engineering Program and a co-chairperson of the conference, concurs, noting a need for industry and academia each to share the things they do best. "If you look and find best practices, there is no reason not to adopt them," she adds.

Both Guthrie and Bogue point to a lack of communication between industry and academia on these issues as a major stumbling block. The conference Proceedings, too, notes that this communications gap may be one of the more startling conference findings.

The introduction says, "Industry, universities and government agencies have much to learn from each other and much to benefit from in common action, but the lack of a common language means that too often mutual problems are left unexplored and transferable solutions left unexploited."

Conference participants have resolved to form alliances, develop a common language and set of assumptions among engineering employers, education and researchers so that they can better learn from each other.

Other major conclusions and recommendations arising from the conference focus on the need: to revisit diversity as a productivity issue; to understand and address the gender inequity imbedded in standard institutional practice; for proactive policies in industry and universities to facilitate work/family balance; for strong professional development in all work sites, particularly mentoring; to recognize the critical role of leadership; to reframe the education-work continuum; and to change the public understanding of engineering.

The conference was held in Canada, July 14-18, 1998, and was attended by representatives from industry, government and academia throughout the world to face up to the critical shortage of young women engineers. An Engineering Foundation conference, it was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Texaco, TRW, the International Society for Optical Engineers (SPIE), The Society of Women Engineers and the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network.

Conference co-chairmen, besides Bogue and Guthrie, also included Steve Hadden, vice president, Texaco North American Production West and Barbara Lazarus, associate provost for academic projects, Carnegie Mellon University.

Industrial conference participants included AT&T, Corning, Compaq, DuPont, INTEL, Lucent, Mitsubishi Mobil, Pratt & Whitney, Proctor & Gamble, Sikorsky Aircraft, Texaco, TRW and Xerox. University participants, in addition to Penn State, included Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, MIT, Purdue, Georgia Tech, UCLA, Berkeley, University of Florida, University of Washington, University of Michigan, the U.S. Naval Academy, Radcliff and Howard University among others.

**bah**

Contacts:

Barbara Hale (814) 865-9481 (o)/ (814) 238-0997 (h)

Vicki Fong (814) 865-9481 (o)/ (814) 238-1221 (h)

EDITORS: To reach Guthrie, call (703) 345-8700 or . To reach Bogue, call (814) 863-1080 or by email. Copies of the Proceedings are available from Patty Sweaney at the International Society for Optical Engineers (SPIE). Contact Sweaney at (360) 676-3290 or at or by email.