Women’s Faculty Council (WFC) Report 2019-2020

Prepared by: Dr. Kim Loeffert

Executive Officers:

Past Chair – Dr. Stephanie Link
Chair Elect – Dr. Kim Loeffert
Vice-Chair - Dr. Tracy Quan
Secretary - Asst. Prof. Madison Chartier
Treasurer – Dr. Erin Dyke
Faculty Council Liaison – Dr. Awilda Rodríguez Carrión

The WFC was very active for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Membership Meetings:

We held 6 WFC meetings. 4 meetings included additional programming from invited sources; all meetings after March 2020 were virtual via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

September 4, 2019 – WFC meeting and reports. Presentation provided by Dr. Jennifer Borland, Associate Professor of Art, Graphic Design, and Art History. Fostering Community Culture: Celebrating Contributions and Cultivating Collaboration.
September 17, 2019 – Constitution Day program marking the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, partner with the OSU Library.
October 2, 2019 – WFC meeting and reports. Presentation provided by Dr. Jeanette Mendez, Vice Provost, Academic Affairs. Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Leadership Positions.
November 6, 2019 – WFC meeting and reports. Presentation provided by Dr. Melanie Wilcox, Assistant Professor and Director, Counseling Psychology Training. Understanding the Lives of Lower Socioeconomic Status Students in Higher Education.
December 4, 2019 – Come and go social event, Iron Monk Brewing Co.
March 4, 2020 – WFC meeting and reports. Panel: Takeaway Messages for Women in Leadership from the HERS Institute, co-sponsored with the President's Fellows' Leadership Initiative.

Panelists: Dr. Jennifer Borland (Associate Professor, Art, Graphic Design, and Art History). Dr. Julie Koch (Professor and Head, Community Health Sciences, Counseling and Counseling Psychology). Dr. Li Miao (Professor and Interim Director, Hospitality and Tourism Management).

April 1, 2020 – WFC meeting and reports. Presentation provided by Dr. Janice Hermann, Professor, Nutritional Sciences. Assessment of Food Security Among Oklahoma State University Students.
April 8, 2020 – WFC meeting and reports. Panel – LGBTQ+ Research and Advocacy at OSU, co-sponsored with EQuAL:

Panelists: Irissa Baxter (Office of Multicultural Affairs). Dr. Jonathan Coley (Assistant Professor, Sociology). Dr. Rachel Schmitz (Assistant Professor, Sociology). Dr. Kris Struckmyer (Assistant State Specialist for Caregiving, Human Development and Family Science)

Administrative Work:

Planning: The Executive Board met as necessary between September 2019 and May 2020 to work on programming, increasing membership participation, and organizing general logistics.
WFC Research Awards: In Fall 2019 the executive officers focused a lot of time and effort soliciting funding for the annual WFC Research Awards, as well as sending out communication requesting application for the WFC Research Award and the Undergraduate Scholarship Award due March 2020.

We reached out to 20 different colleges and divisions on campus and received commitments of support from 10, totaling over $16,500 in commitments.

We received confirmed actual cash transfer or fulfilled commitments for $16,500.

We awarded $16,500 to 23 undergraduate and graduate students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we featured student award winners’ research via infographic or brief video on our social media channels and webpage in lieu of our traditional awards reception and poster symposium.

Sponsors for the WFC Research Award included:

-College of Arts & Sciences

-College of Education and Human Sciences

-College of Engineering, Architecture, & Technology

-Graduate College

-Institute for Technology and Learning Excellence

-Office of the President

-Spears School of Business

-Vice President for Institutional Diversity

-Vice President and Provost for Academic Affairs

-Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer

There were 53 volunteer WFC Research Award application reviewers representing all the different colleges. Sarah Milligan volunteered to chair the awards committee and work was done between March 1 – March 31st to review and score the applications.

Undergraduate Scholarship: The Ann Ryder and Clara Smith WFC Leadership Endowed Scholarship for Undergraduates realized $800 from the endowment to be awarded for this scholarship. There were 6 volunteer reviewers to review the 4 person application pool. Kim Loeffert chaired the review committee.

Budget:

The WFC started the 2019-2020 academic year with $6503 in our budget. After solicitation for WFC annual research awards donations, we were pledged $16,500 for research awards and $1000 in WFC general expenditure account. We awarded $16,500 to WFC research award recipients. We received $4,500 from the President's Fellows Fund for our Outstanding Achievement and Mentorship of Women Faculty Awards, and awarded $1500 to each of three awardees.

Special Programmatic Efforts:

Outstanding Achievement and Mentorship of Women Faculty Awards: The WFC was awarded $4500 to support three faculty awards by the President's Fellows Fund to recognize outstanding achievements in research and creative works of women and have demonstrated a record of encouragement, mentorship, and advancement of women toward professional success. 32 nominations were received. An awards committee headed by Kay Bjornen selected three award winners, representing three different levels of career development: Rising Star Award for younger faculty, Outstanding Achievement for mid-career faculty, and Inspiring Excellence for established faculty. Each awardee received $1500 and a commemorative plaque. The award winners were:

Rising Star Award: Dr. Dolores Vazquez Sanroman, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Center for Health Sciences

Outstanding Achievement: Dr. Ashlee Ford Versypt, Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology

Inspiring Excellence: Dr. Stephanie Sweatt, Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences

Targeted Committees/Efforts:

COVID-19 "Opt-Out" Tenure Clock Extension: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WFC advocated for an automatic, one-year extension of the tenure clock for all probationary OSU faculty, with an emphasis on an "opt-out" rather than an "opt-in" approach. This would automatically grant the one-year extension unless otherwise requested, minimizing issues of inequity, implicit bias, personal concerns, and negative stigma associated with an extension request. The letter the WFC sent to the Provost's Office and Deans' Council can be found here.
Best Practices for Supporting Caregivers during COVID-19: The WFC began working on a document outlining best practices for supervisors supporting parents and caregivers during the pandemic. We began the process of soliciting input from other faculty groups as well as staff and student organizations. The final document was co-signed by the Staff Advisory Council, Graduate and Professional Student Government Association, and the College of Arts and Sciences Equity Advocates in July 2020 and can be found here.

Awards and Honors:

INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine 2020 Inspiring Affinity Group Award: The WFC was recognized for it's work by the INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine, and featured in the July/August issue with a short summary of the group and a photo of WFC Executive Committee members and WFC Faculty Awardees.

Officer Nominations:

WFC membership were invited in May to nominate 2020-2021 Treasurer and Vice Chair candidates as well as volunteers for the WFC Faculty Council Liaison.

Elected WFC executive board for 2020-2021 academic year:

Past Chair: Dr. Kim Loeffert - Music
Chair- Elect: Dr. Tracy Quan - Geology
Vice Chair: Dr. Erin Dyke – Curriculum Studies
Secretary: Asst. Prof. Madison Chartier – OSU Library
Treasurer: Dr. Jennifer Glenn - Industrial Engineering and Management

Appointed by Executive Committee:

WFC Faculty Council Liaison: Dr. Elizabeth McCullagh - Integrative Biology