University Faculty Gender Equity Council
Background
Faculty gender equality is an essential component of a well-functioning diverse and inclusive university. Recruitment, retention, and advancement of women faculty is a key step toward promoting gender equity. Gender equity also requires continuous examination and improvement of policies and practices that promote inclusion, reduce bias, and increase diversity. To advance gender equity, the UFGEC was formed under the charge of the Executive Vice President and Provost in 2014. (Prior to the formation of the UFGEC, the Council on the Status of Women Faculty considered the issue of gender equity following the 2008 Gender Equity Task Force Report.)
The purpose of the UFGEC is to advance gender equity among faculty at UT Austin. The Council annually conducts an analysis of factors that demonstrate progress towards this goal, identifies areas for improvement, and develops best practices and solutions to promote a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive university.
Previous UFGEC work has focused on employment issues, climate and family health issues, and best practices. For example, the Council engaged in analysis of gender inequities in compensation, time to promotion for both associate professor (tenure) and full professor, and endowment decisions. Additionally, the Council has presented best practices for equity, diversity, and inclusion, including specific ideas for recruitment, retention, and promotion. The Council conceived and developed the Provost’s Distinguished Service Academy to recognize faculty who exemplify scholarship and have extraordinary achievements in mentoring and service to their college, the University, and the State of Texas and the Nation.
The UFGEC is joined by the Council for Racial and Ethnic Equity and Diversity (CREED) and the Council for LGBTQ+ Access, Equity, and Inclusion (Q+AEI) in seeking to remove barriers, ensure fairness in University policies and practices, and facilitate an inclusive climate of advancement and growth for all faculty.
UFGEC Activities in AY 2021-22
The UFGEC continues to fulfill its mission to advise the executive vice president and provost through collection and analysis of data and through recommendation of best practices for achieving equity and recruiting, retaining, and advancing women faculty members.
For the 2021-22 academic year, the UFGEC (co-chaired by Dr. Shardha Jogee and Dr. Lynn Katz) focused on issues related to women faculty equity via three subcommittees that produced the following reports
- Academic Leadership Development Programs at UT – Chair, Shardha Jogee
- Strategies to Address Covid-19 Disparate Impacts on Female Faculty– Chair, Lynn Katz
- Faculty Promotion and Tenure – Chair, Becky Petit
2022-23 UFGEC Membership
Executive Coordination
Lydia Contreras, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
Co-chairs
Shardha Jogee, College of Natural Sciences- Current Chair
Becky Pettit, College of Liberal Arts -Chair Elect
Lynn Katz, Cockrell School of Engineering- Past Chair
Members
Megan Alrutz, College of Fine Arts
Julia Clarke, Jackson School of Geosciences
Jane Dimmit Champion, School of Nursing
Jennifer Glass, College of Liberal Arts
Huriya Jabbar, College of Education
Sirkka Jarvenpaa, Red McCombs School of Business
Sheila Olmstead, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Elizabeth Sepper, School of Law
Janet Walkow, College of Pharmacy
Yvette Williams-Brown, Dell Medical School
Yan Zhang, School of Information
Vacant, School of Architecture
Vacant, Mood College of Communication
Vacant, Steve Hicks School of Social Work
Members-at-large
Shuping Chen, Red McCombs School of Business
Minette Drumwright, Moody College of Communication
Fernanda Leite, Cockrell School of Engineering
Jennifer Maynard, Cockrell School of Engineering
Elizabeth Mueller, School of Architecture
Shelley Payne, College of Natural Sciences
Christen Smith, College of Liberal Arts
Ex Officio Members
Lynn Katz, Office of the Faculty Ombuds
Tasha Beretvas, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
Marquita Booker, Office for Inclusion and Equity
Andrea Gore, Committee of Counsel on Academic Freedom and Responsibility, Faculty Council Domino Perez, Faculty Council
Mackenzie Smith, Student Government
Mark J. T. Smith, Graduate School
Betty Jeanne Taylor, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement
Del Watson, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
Stephen Vladeck, Faculty Council
Shardha Jogee and Lynn Katz