UMN Women’s Faculty Cabinet Updates Spring 2019
University Task Force Recommendation
The Women’s Faculty Cabinet has concerns about how student ratings of teaching (SRTs) are utilized across the University of Minnesota. SRTs serve as a broad diagnostic tool, intended to assess student experience rather than serve as an objective measure of quality teaching. Currently, however, SRTs are used in many parts of the University to comprehensively assess teaching performance and SRT scores directly impact major employment decisions, such as compensation, tenure, and contract renewal. This affects nearly all categories of faculty, including P&A, adjuncts, tenured, tenure-track, and contract instructors. Additionally, the WFC has spent the last few years investigating and compiling the strong, rigorous, and increasing evidence that SRTs are prone to bias and may have an adverse impact on women faculty, as well as faculty from other underrepresented and historically marginalized backgrounds. The Cabinet has created a proposal that advocates the assembly of a diverse, university-wide and gender-balanced advisory task force to propose solutions to the SRTs are currently used, and to make suggestions on how the University can implement a more holistic evaluation process to achieve teaching excellence. Watch for more information to come on this topic.
Salary Equity Review Committees (SERCs)
The standardized salary equity review process was implemented as a result of the 2013 salary equity study that showed a salary gap between men and women of 2-2.2%. Gaps were found primarily at the full professor level and were largely eliminated for junior faculty. Using the SERC, in 2014-2015 UMN-TC colleges made a total of 83 salary adjustments (29 men and 54 women). Between FY16 and FY19, colleges reported a total of 269 salary equity adjustments.
Each college is expected to conduct reviews that to examine salary equity among its faculty, with the explicit consideration of gender as one of several factors that must be considered in the review as possibly contributing to inequities. Since FY15, colleges have been asked by the provost to have in place a standing salary equity review committee (SERC) of faculty peers that reviews claims from individuals using the standardized faculty equity review protocol developed in 2014, advises the dean about best practices around salary equity, including retention guidelines, and provides a periodic review of a full cohort in the college (e.g. select departments). While not currently required by the institution, colleges may elect to use the SERC process can be used for non-tenure track academic personnel.
The Provost’s Office annually provides guidelines and training to college HR offices, faculty affairs, and SERCs as needed. In FY19 five colleges with SERC membership turnover received training from the Provost’s Office. Colleges receive data displays to aid the process. OHR’s compensation team has also been trained by Provost’s Office staff in the use of the SERC review protocol. Colleges annually report to the Provost's Office information about salary adjustments made as a result of an equity process. In addition to collecting this information, in 2014 the Provost’s Office also began collecting information related to startup funding, dual career hires, and retention efforts.
The Medical School, because of its complex salary structure, was not part of this process and initial salary equity analysis. The provost charged the Medical School to move forward with a process. A working group in the Medical School proposed recommendations for moving forward and upon the completion of a salary equity analysis in the Medical School completed in 2018, the Medical School is now in the process of establishing two SERCs concerned with equity reviews in basic science and clinical disciplines.
If you are interested in discussing a salary equity review within your college, please reach out to your dean’s office for direction and consultation.
Soliciting Ideas/Comments
If you have any feedback you would like to share with the WFC, please use this form.
Spring Retreat
The WFC spring retreat is a wonderful time to refresh, renew and enjoy the company of your peers. If you haven’t had a chance to RSVP, we have ten seats remaining! We hope you are able to join us. Please complete this google form to register.
Change from Within: Promoting Positive Personal and Organizational Change.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Room 105 of the Cargill Building
1500 Gortner Ave, St Paul, MN 55108
The event is free and lunch is included. Our powerful lineup of speakers will address how we can successfully affect change internally and systemically.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Dr. Artika Tyner, University of St. Thomas, Associate Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, Professor, Author, and Civil Rights Attorney
Topic: Strategies for Building Change
Dr. Tyner's presentation will explore key leadership strategies for building and sustaining social change. This interactive presentation will draw upon Dr. Tyner's research and experience in building inclusive organizations and workplaces. Attendees will gain new insights on how to build a collective vision, establish partnerships, set an agenda, and unleash our moral imagination.
Executive Vice President and Provost Karen Hanson, University of Minnesota
Topic: Career Reflections and Promise for the Future
Executive Vice President and Provost Karen Hanson has served as the chief academic officer of the University of Minnesota system and provost for the Twin Cities campus for the past seven years. She has had overarching responsibility for fostering the academic excellence of the educational and research missions of the University and providing leadership for undergraduate, graduate, and professional education. Provost Hanson will share with us her career reflections in this role at the University and her hopes for women faculty in the future.
Dr. Pri Shah, Associate Professor, Department of Work and Organizations, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
Topic: Negotiation Strategies: Creative Solutions for Difficult Problems
Priti Pradhan Shah’s primary research areas are Social Networks, Teams, and Decision-Making. Her research is published in Organization Science, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes among others. Her areas of teaching expertise include Negotiations, Organizational Behavior, Teams, and Social Networks. Dr. Shah will share strategies and techniques to create more successful negotiations in a variety of situations.
Dr. Rita Webster, Chief Leadership Officer and Founder of Wise Leader, LLC.
Topic: Using Power and Voice to Create Personal and Cultural Influence
Rita Webster, Ph.D. is an expert in helping professional women successfully navigate the cultures of their organization. For more than 20 years, she has been coaching women in areas of confidence building, gaining visibility, saying no, being emotionally courageous, living authentically, and asking for what they want.
Co-Chairs:
- Amy Simon, Senior Lecturer, Work and Organizations (CSOM)
- Meggan Craft, Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine (VETMD)
Members:
- Jerica Berge, Associate Professor, Family Medicine and Community Health (AHC)
- Sanghamitra Chaudhurim, Lecturer, Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development (CEHD)
- Anitra Cottledge, Women’s Center Director
- Christina Ewig, Professor, Faculty Director, Center on Women, Gender and Public Policy (HHH)
- Nan Gesche, Senior Teaching Specialist, Communication Studies (CLA)
- Carrie Henning-Smith, Assistant Professor, Division of Health Policy and Management (SPH)
- Maki Isaka, Professor, Asian Languages and Literatures (SPH)
- Katherine Lingras Assistant Professor, Psychiatry (AHC)
- Traci Mann, Professor, Psychiatry (CLA)
- Julie Olson, Associate Professor, Diagnostic and Biological Sciences (DENT)
- Tracy Wang, Associate Professor, Finance (CSOM)