The Observer, February 16, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 17
Female president an advancement for Case
The following speech was made at the Share the Vision panel discussion, "The University in Transition: What Does It Mean to Have a Woman Leading Us?" in response to a prompt asking for the perspective of an undergraduate experiencing the change of leadership and the anticipation of the first woman president at Case.
Case has gone through serious transition, especially in terms of the undergraduate experience, since I first arrived at this school in the fall of 2003. I came to Case as a first year student just after the branding campaign began to take effect, and when SAGES was still a pilot program. Contagious anticipation surrounded the various construction projects that were soon to take place on campus, such as finally seeing the Baker Building torn down and the Binary Walkway laid in its place, or the beginnings of construction for the Village. A grand vision that was beginning to take hold here under former President Hundert and it was a time of excitement.
Of course, we all now know that while many projects did happen and that the university has continued to grow and improve in many ways over the last few years, there have been many adverse results. As a graduating senior today, I see these results in terms of the financial circumstances, increasing tuition, failed big ideas without necessary substance behind them, as well as what I perceive as an erosion of what could have become an inclusive spirit of community on this campus, bringing people from the far and diverse corners of the university together. I think it is clear that we are at a point where we need new direction and focus, and definition of what Case Western Reserve University is really about, and I am excited to know that we have a chance at that with President-Elect Barbara Snyder.
Considering Snyder's wide-ranging accomplishments at The Ohio State University and the breadth of her involvement there, as well as her past familiarity with Case, I am certain that her contributions to this university will be great. Judging from her track record, she appears dedicated to serving the campus community in so many ways and I think her accomplishments at OSU indicate that she could do wonders for Case in terms of regaining focus and continuing to improve our abilities to research, teach, learn, and live well as an institution.
After our period of regrouping and recollection under interim President Eastwood, I feel that Case Western Reserve University is at another pivotal moment where we have the potential to move forward with great strides towards a cohesive and progressive vision of accomplishment, in which the university can continue to gain status and recognition for all of the important and interesting things that happen here.
What is particularly exciting about Barbara Snyder as the next president, however, is the fact that she is a woman. She is the first woman president this university has ever had. This step forward is a progressive move for Case and I am glad to see it happening.
According to the American Council on Education (A.C.E.), in 2001 21.1 percent of university presidents were women. I was told by A.C.E. that the number has risen slightly, though not very much, since then. Clearly women presidents are still in the minority and it is laudable that we are stepping up and becoming part of a movement which asserts that women are capable leaders – as capable as men. By naming Barbara Snyder as our next president, Case Western Reserve University has avowed that women are equal in their abilities to lead, not only in terms of a nominal position, but also that women are integral to the success of the university, which has for so long been a domain dominated by men.
In fact, I do think it is a shame that it has taken us at Case so long to get to this point; for a university that has held such a progressive and innovative vision in terms of our research, curricula, and policies (we even have domestic partner benefits here), it is too bad that we have taken such a long time truly to recognize women in terms of leadership at this university.
If you take a moment to look at our administrators, you'll quickly realize that a vast majority of them are men. When you go to the Case website which lists administrators and deans, of the 18 administrators listed, only five are women; of the ten deans listed, only one dean and one interim dean are women. Of the 38 people listed online as members of our board of trustees, only eight are women.
These are the people who shape our university in terms of vision, major decisions, and day-to-day logistics, and yet such a small portion of them are women – and these same patterns hold true in terms of the proportion of our faculty who are women. Now, when you realize that women do, in fact, make up half of our population, and yet hold such a small portion of these leadership positions, you have to wonder why that is. I cannot even begin to touch on the topic of people of color occupying these positions. However, Case is certainly not unique in this situation – this is the norm at most universities today.
As I said, however, the fact that President Elect Barbara Snyder is a woman is an exciting step in the right direction for Case. We are making a wonderful statement not only to our own university community, as well as to the Greater Cleveland community, but also to other universities, and people around the country, and the globe, about our faith in women as capable and important leaders – and that is great news.
