Press Coverage

Women in Higher Education [Newsletter] September 2008

" Radcliffe Alumnae Prod Harvard Toward Gender Equity "

This feature article gives CEWH's history and showcases a few of the steps the group undertook in its effort to implement change

Women in Higher Education [Newsletter] August 2008

" Harvard's Woman's Group Donates $75,000 for New Pre-Tenure Faculty Mentoring"

This short article describes the mentoring program funded by a gift from CEWH to the Harvard Office of Faculty Development and Diversity

HCWC 2007-2008 Report June 2008

"HCWC History"

CEWH is cited as one of the groups that "mounted a full-court-press publicity initiative" in support of the need for a women's center at Harvard

Harvard Crimson November 17, 2006

" Women's Center Provides Resources, Not Will "

CEWH Steering Committee Member Shauna Shames responds to op-ed "Knitting a Revolution" and clarifies the ultimate purpose of the Harvard Women's Center

Harvard Crimson May 17, 2006

" Next President Should be Sensitive to Women's Issues"

CEWH Co-chair Gabriella Schlesinger, in her letter to the editor, suggests that "the Search Committee must examine closely a presidential candidate's commitment to the implementation of the 2005 Task Forces Reports on women faculty" in its considerations for the selection of the next Harvard president

Harvard Crimson February 24, 2006

"Women's Center Will Improve Female Student's Experience"

In her letter to the editor, CEWH Steering Committee Member Shauna Shames responds to the editorial "True Equality" and addresses the assumptions expressed by the author, particularly that women are a special interest group and that women's major problems on campus are social rather than structural

Harvard Magazine March-April 2005

"Birth of a Feminist: Remembering Radcliffe in the 1950s"

This essay is by Ann Shapiro, CEWH Co-chair (1999-2002)

Harvard Crimson March 7, 2005

"Women Faculty Address Challenges"

This coverage of a panel discussion hosted by The Seneca and several co-host organizations including CEWH refers to the CEWH white pins worn by many audience members.

The Washington Post February 22, 2005

"Harvard Chief Again to Face Angry Faculty Over Remarks"

In addition to discussing the dismay of the faculty over Summers's unfortunate remarks on women scientists, the article also commented on the decline in tenure offers made to women during Summers' s tenure. Commenting on this issue, Nancy Tobin, CEWH member said, "Call that what you may, but that is not progress." The article continued with mention of the CEWH escrow fund established to encourage Harvard to grant tenure to more women.

The Boston Globe January 24, 2005

"Gender Gap Separates Harvard, Other Top Schools Efforts on Women Outpaced Elsewhere"

In a long article discussing efforts by other campuses to promote gender equality, the reporter discusses the poor record of tenuring women during Summers's administration. However, she notes that some refer to a "lackluster" record for far longer than Summers's presidency. She mentions that CEWH has been trying for several years to persuade Harvard to undertake an in-depth self-study similar to MIT's. CEWH member, Lilli S. Hornig, said that Princeton, Yale and Duke had done similar studies, though not all of them as far-reaching. She noted that "Harvard's continuing secrecy concerning many issues of women faculty serves only to arouse mistrust and the suspicion that there is much to hide."

Harvard Crimson January 21, 2005

"Hat in Hand, Summers Tries to Stem Fallout"

In this article which covers Summers's efforts to address his unfortunate remarks at the NBER Conference, Gabriella Schlesinger, CEWH Co-chair states, "Alums expect the president of Harvard to provide very positive leadership in this area. He needs to show some concern about the educational climate for women on campus."

Harvard Crimson October 8, 2004

"Female Faculty Discuss Tenure"

This article reports on the meeting between 50 female faculty and top administrators on October 6 to discuss their concerns about the declining number of female tenure offers. While some of the mostly unnamed faculty attended were pleased with the discussion, others expressed disappointment. One professor said that "Summers did not want to appear to be appointing people for demographic reasons. She said that some faculty were mystified that Summers would suggest that not enough potential female faculty would meet Harvard's standards. 'It's been many years since anyone at Harvard (anyone who is moderately enlightened) has implied that tenuring more women would be fulfilling a quota or giving in to pressure', Nancy Tobin ' 49, research chair for the Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard, wrote in an e-mail.'

Harvard Crimson September 23, 2004

"Low Female Tenure Numbers Decried in Letter to Summers"

This story reports on the letter signed the previous June by 26 professors "lamenting the declining number of female tenure appointments in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences". President Summers indicated that he was meeting with a standing group of women faculty in October to discuss the problem of the decline in tenure offers to women. "Nancy Tobin ' 49, research chair for the Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard said Harvard needs more transparency in hiring, including gender breakdowns by departments 'not only by the current humanities, social sciences and natural sciences breakdown. While Summers has asked faculty to investigate why females lag behind males in various fields, Tobin said Harvard needs to do a self-study of female faculty hiring, as institutions like MIT, Princeton,Yale and Duke have done. She added that while Harvard may not lag behind all its peers, it should be leading the field........That comparable institutions aren't doing better, I wouldn't use that as an excuse.'"

Harvard Crimson June 10, 2004

"No Women Among 13 New Senior Profs"

This article pointed out that of 32 offers of tenure, 13 of which were accepted, no female professors accepted senior faculty positions. There was also concern for the downward trend in hiring female junior faculty in the humanities. In reply to an inquiry to CEWH for thoughts on this trend, Nancy Tobin, Research Chair, commented that a lack of female senior faculty members within a department can pose problems when recruiiting women to fill junior faculty positions. The article goes on to give a very brief history of CEWH.

Harvard Crimson June 2003

"Women at Harvard: Are the Barriers Broken"

This insert in the Commencement issue of the Harvard Crimson contains several articles on the status of women at Harvard. The article "The Alums Fight for Equality", gives the history of CEWH focusing on its concerns, goals and accomplishments.

Harvard Crimson February 7, 2001

"Tenure Problems Persist for Women"

The article includes mention of the committee releasing the funds held in escrow to fund a joint Harvard-Radcliffe chair because nine of the nineteen tenure appointments in 2000 were to women. Co-chair Acey Welch ' 53 corrected this in a letter to the editor, appearing in the February 27, 2001 issue, stating that the reason for releasing the money was that "CEWH considered the professorship to be an innovative step in furthering the education of women at Harvard begun by Radcliffe College in 1879."

Harvard Magazine September-October 2000

"To The President's Successor"

Letter from CEWH member Barbara Nesbet ' 90 states a commitment to equality for women at Harvard should be a criterion in the selection for the new president.

Radcliffe Quarterly Fall 1999

"Unfinished Business"

Letter from CEWH member Gabriella Pintus Schlesinger ' 58 discusses the petition signed by over 500 alumnae/i at Reunion calling on Harvard to "to initiate a similar self-study [to that conducted by MIT] to trace any unintentional, yet subtle and pervasive discrimination."

USA Today July 27, 1999

"Radcliffe women wary about parking hearts at Harvard Yard"

This story is a companion piece to the cover story on the MIT report on sex discrimination against women in science. It discusses the lack of tenured women at Harvard, stating: "Though the numbers have increased steadily since 1992, when 9.8% of senior faculty were women, the numbers remain 'ridiculously small,' says Ann Shapiro, Co-chair of the Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard. . ."

Harvard Magazine May-June 1999

"Women on the Faculty"

A letter from Committee member Cornelia Dimmitt ' 58 on behalf of CEWH points out the need for an increase in the number of tenured women to remedy the present gender imbalance in the ratio of faculty to students with the consequent negative effect on women students.

Harvard Crimson April 12, 1999

"MIT Not Alone in Discrimination Problems"

Letter from Ann S. Shapiro ' 58 (CEWH Co-chair), dated March 29, 1999, decries the unwillingness of Harvard to produce a comprehensive report on the status of women at Harvard. She discusses the statistics on women faculty, both tenured and untenured and the possibility of lack of recruitment efforts being a contributing factor to the dearth of women. In addition, without a study such as that conducted by MIT there is no way of establishing whether discrimination is another contributing factor.

Women in Higher Education January 1999

Four articles refer to the CEWH November 1998 Conference on women in research universities. In the lead article, "Tips to Help Research Universities Support Women Faculty" , there is a long report on the talk given by Marianne Ferber, professor emeritus of economics and women's studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in which she described the uneven progress of women in academia aand offered suggested remedies.

"Hell hath no fury. . . " gives the history of the formation of CEWH and lists some of its accomplishments.

"Women Faculty Model New Values for Research Universities"
summarizes the results of a study of 6,000 female and male faculty across the country. The study, conducted by Helen Astin and Christine Cress of the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute, found significant gender differences in faculty values. The study points out that most research institutions still affirm "male" values at women's expense, that faculty oriented toward prestige and status still earn, more and reach tenure faster than those oriented toward students and society. The article concludes: "To benefit from the best women have to offer, even research universities need to promote teaching and service as well as the more traditional research."

"Faculty Gain from Talking to Potential Women Donors"#34
This article reports on the talk given by University of Wisconsin Foundation VP Martha Taylor. She discussed the ways in which women's giving differs from men's - women are more interested in how their money will be used. She also discussed how faculty can be used in fund-raising.

Harvard Magazine July-August 1998

"Radcliffe Quandry"

Illustrating a story on questions about Radcliffe's status and future, there is a picture of two CEWH members showing their buttons advocating the cause of equality for women at Harvard.

Harvard Crimson March 3, 1998

"Harvard Comparatively Weak on Women in Science"

Letter from Committee member Lilli S. Hornig, (Ph.D. in chemistry ' 50) dated February 26, 1998, analyzes statistics on science enrollment and number of graduating women in science at Harvard and compares it unfavorably to other highly selective institutions. She comments that "the continuing paucity of women science faculty, untenured as well as tenured, surely contributes materially to Harvard's relatively poor showing in educating women scientists." She concludes : "Taken together, women's under-representation among students and, notably, on the faculty, with egregious shortages in both social and natural sciences, makes Harvaard appear to consider women less important than men."

Harvard Crimson January 2, 1998

"Lack of Tenured Black Women Concerns Many."

"Peggy Schmertzler ' 53 who heads the Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard, says 'Harvard's system of tenuring professors - finding that handful - deserves a critical examination.

There's all kinds of research which shows that peer review and secret meetings and very unique procedures tend to maintain the status quo,' she says.

Peer review is very biased against minorities and Harvard is very committed to its present tenure process, but more people on the outside think that the process should be much less secretive."

San Francisco Chronicle October 13, 1997

"Gender Defenders: The fight to hire and give tenure to women hits Harvard where it hurts."

The CEWH escrow account is mentioned as one of the pressures on Harvard to "improve their grade in the gender department.

'Our concern is that there really be a fundamental change that levels the playing field,' said Peggy Schmertzler, head of the Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard. . .'"

The Chronicle of Higher Education September 12, 1997

"Harvard and Radcliffe Try to Define an Unusual Relationship."

Article mentions CEWH putting pressure on Harvard to grant more tenure to women.

Glamour September 1997

"Women graduates put $$$ behind their ideals."

This editorial gives "examples of how women are turning old school ties into a new kind of clout" leading with a description of the CEWH escrow account.

Chicago Tribune July 21, 1997

"NU [Northwestern] will profit by Harvard tenure ruling."

Article discusses the failure of Harvard to tenure Bonnie Honig, associate professor of government, and cites the letter written by 15 senior women faculty to President Rudenstine urging him to reconsider. CEWH Chair is quoted as saying that the Bonnie Honig issue has "propelled a lot of new people to join our cause."

The Chronicle of Philanthropy Vo. IX, No. 18 July 10, 1997

"A small but growing number of female donors have begun to exert their influence by refusing to give unless charities do more to improve their treatment of women.

At Harvard University, 2000 people have formed the Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard. The committee, made up mostly of female alumni, has placed $500,000 in an escrow account and has said it will not give the money to Harvard until is shows it is taking steps to increase the number of women on its faculty. Only 11 percent of tenured faculty positions are held by women.

'This is egregious,' says Peggy Schmertzler, head of the committee. 'There are so many more women in the pipeline.'"

The New York Times May 26, 1997

In a letter to the editor, CEWH member Gabriella P. Schlesinger, ' 58, expresses dismay at the failure to tenure the highly esteemed Bonnie Honig, especially when Harvard gives lack of availability of qualified women as a reason for its low percentage of tenured women faculty.

The Boston Globe May 21, 1997

Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Eileen McNamara in a column entitled "Harvard hurts its credibility", discusses the failure to tenure Bonnie Honig and President Rudenstine's lack of explanation due to the secrecy of the tenure process. "Women want to know if confidentiality is really a cloak to conceal discrimination." The column discusses the CEWH escrow account and Harvard's creation of a Task Force on Women in Leadership and states that "Harvard needs no help in identifying its woman problem. It needs to address why the men who run the university are so resistant to solving it."

Harvard Crimson April 30, 1997

"Chere Harvarde."

Editorial discussion of why Harvard has an "unacceptably small" number of tenured women professors, the official Harvard responses, needed remedies, and CEWH Chair comment on why more women faculty is of critical educational importance.

Chronicle of Higher Education February 28, 1997.

"Give & Take."

"Harvard University's $2.1 billion campaign is missing out on $500,000 in donations." The column discusses the escrow account and its purpose. "It's to raise awareness that Harvard is being watched by its constituency," says Ann R. Shapiro ' 58, CEWH Academic Consultant.

The New York Times February 13, 1997

"Alumnae, Once Snubbed but Docile, Prod Harvard Sharply on Sex Equality."

Article gives background of some CEWH members, and why they started and/or joined CEWH. Mary Waters, Professor of Sociology at Harvard in talking about committee members - "they're incredibly courageous - these women are unique in their position in being able to speak up. They're not worried about their jobs or their future careers." A picture accompanying the article shows three Committee members and Lamelle Rawlins, the first female president of the undergraduate student body. "For her," Ms. Rawlins said, "the members of the committee are role models."

The Washington Post January 17, 1997

"Alumnae Who Give---and Now Get: The Trade-off for Women's Donations Is Campus Power."

Article reports on some of the 12 groups created at public and private universities to boost fund raising among its female graduates. The profiled groups are affiliated with their schools. A separate column titled "At Harvard, Alumnae Step Up Pressure" states that "At Harvard, which is only in the early stages of forming an alumnae-council, female donors found another way to exert pressure on the university." The story then describes the escrow account of CEWH and the reasons for its establishment, Harvard's official response and its formation of a Women and Leadership Task Force of 41 alumnae to advise the dean of the Faculties of Arts and Sciences.

Cambridge Chronicle November 7, 1996

"Gender gap persists on Harvard faculty."

Reports on difficulties in obtaining departmental tenuring data, with official responses that no such breakdown exists. Quotes speakers on CEWH sponsored panel on October 10, 1996 "Choosing to Lead: The Equality of Women at Harvard." Dr. William Silen, Dean of faculty development and diversity at Harvard Medical School stated that "much of the failure rests with department chairmen who don't see increasing the number of tenured women as a priority." Dr. Silen cited the efforts of John Hopkins Medical School to remove significant barriers to tenuring women which increased promotions by 500% in three years.

Harvard Crimson October 11, 1996

"Members of Panel Decry Paucity of Women on Harvard 's Faculties."

Article reports on October 10 student/faculty panel sponsored by CEWH "Choosing to Lead: The Equality of Women at Harvard." Susan R. Suleiman, Professor of Romance languages and comparative literature stated: "No junior faculty member at Harvard gains tenure without support from a powerful member of the senior faculty " which, given the shortage of female faculty, means that male members of the junior faculty tend to get the mentoring. Representatives of student government also spoke out on issues of equality of women at Harvard.

Women's Research Network News September 1996

"News from Caucuses and Networks"
Harvard Boycott Continues

Discusses the Harvard Women Faculty Fund created by CEWH and the recommendations of the 1995 Report on the Status of Women at Harvard and quotes Lilli Hornig, the report's author: "We agree that Harvard should hire only the best. The difference is, we know that the best includes women."

Working Women March 1996

"Capital Fight at Harvard."

The article leads with "How's this for a failing grade: Harvard University pays its tenured female professors 15% - that's $15,000 - less than its tenured males, according to the American Association of University Professors. It's the largest wage gap of any of the 25 top-ranked schools. . . In addition, Harvard has the second-lowest percentage of tenured women on its faculty (only Yale's is worse)." CEWH efforts and its escrow account are described.

The New York Times --Education Life, January 7, 1996

"Radcliffe Alumnae Get Tough With Harvard: A group from the 1950's starts a drive to withhold donations until more women get tenure."

Lengthy article quotes Committee members on why they joined CEWH, why Harvard's tenuring efforts are inadequate, and why they question the official Harvard responses cited in the article. "The committee is not asking Harvard to set quotas or establish a numerical goal. Instead, members of the committee said each academic department should measure its percentage of tenured women faculty against a 'realistic availability pool', and create a plan to increase the number if that percentage falls short. When the departments do so, the committee will turn over any money in the escrow account, now called the Harvard Women Faculty Fund.

'We realized Harvard had shortchanged us as under-graduates, that we accepted the crumbs,' said Ms. [Ann Rabinowitz] Shapiro, now a tenured English professor at the State University of New York at Farmingdale. 'We realized it was up to us to insure a better future for our daughters and granddaughters.'"

Newsweek December 11, 1995

"Harvard Held Up; no female profs, no checks."

"Women have never had an easy time of getting the men who run Harvard to take them seriously. The gender war once centered on such antiquities as male-only dining halls and library stacks. Today the battleground is Harvard's pathetic number of tenured women--one of the nation's worst records." The article discusses the reasons for the escrow account, Harvard's hiring record, and quotes chair Peggy Schmertzler, whose picture heads the article.

The Chronicle of Higher Education November 24, 1995

"Radcliffe Group Urges Boycott of Harvard Drive."

"The Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard is sending letters to all 27,000 Radcliffe alumnae and 13,000 Harvard graduates, asking them to give to an escrow fund, to be called the 'Harvard Women Faculty Fund', rather than to the major drive. . ."

Harvard Crimson November 15, 1995

"Alumnae Group Calls for Boycott of Campaign."

"Calling for Harvard to tenure more women professors, a group of Radcliffe alumnae have launched a boycott of the University's $2.1 billion capital campaign. . .The issue is that Harvard has lagged behind its own plans, as outlined in numerous faculty reports and as required by law, to have adequate representation of women on the faculty," said Lilli S. Hornig, Ph.D. ' 50, CEWH Research and Policy Analysis Consultant.

Boston Globe November 14, 1995

"Radcliffe alumnae step up the pressure: Group launches boycott of Harvard capital campaign."

Discusses establishment of escrow account and Harvard's hiring record. "They are hiring women, but at a rate that seems very depressing, considering how many women scholars are out there," CEWH Chair.

Radcliffe Quarterly Fall/Winter 1995

Radcliffe Roundtable "Women on the Faculty"

Nine panelists, including Nancy Tobin, CEWH Research Chair, discuss why increasing the number of women faculty members has become a matter of such concern. Marjorie Garber, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of English, Director of the Center for Literary and Cultural Studies at Harvard, and the Associate Dean for Affirmative Action of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences: "Who are the best people? How can they make the Harvard of the 21st century the leader in education as well as research? And it seems to me compelling to think that women, as well as men, must educate women as well as men, and that you are narrowing the options for potential greatness and diversity if you don't begin to think in terms of cultural diversity, of gender equal access, and also of race and ethnicity."

The Boston Globe June 9, 1995

Radcliffe alumnae push Harvard on women's tenure.

"Stepping up pressure on Harvard University to give tenure to more women faculty, Radcliffe alumnae from the class of 1960 sought to put their $92,000 class gift in escrow until they see results." The CEWH Chair urged other graduates to also withhold gifts to Harvard.

Pre 1995 Press Coverage

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May 2009