The Evolving Role of the Female SIO: Challenges & Lessons Learned

2012 Conference

Building a Secure World Through International Education

The Evolving Role of the Female SIO: Challenges & Lessons

Learned

PRESENTERS

Tanith Fowler Corsi Pia Wood Penelope PynesAssistant Vice President, Associate Provost, Associate Provost,Global Education International Education International ProgramsCatholic University of America University of Tennessee, Knoxville University of North

Carolina at Greensboro

02/21/2012

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Major Themes Explored

• Evolving profile, role and definition of the female SIO

• Female SIO Follow up Survey Results

• Challenges Facing Female SIOs

• Lessons Learned

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Evolving Role of the Female SIO

• More women are getting into leadership positions in international education

• Women have to define their role and influence in relation to evolving field and SIO male counterparts

• Woman have unique experiences and challenges which can add to the field and create opportunities for networking and mentorship

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Follow up Survey Questions• What is your present title?• What is the name of your institution or organization?• What are/were the two biggest challenges you faced in moving up the

ranks and into your present position?• Which if any of the two challenges you identified above, do you think

are/were based on gender at least to some extent?• What educational pathway did you follow?• If you have a Ph.D., was it necessary for your present position?• What experience/career path did you follow? What were the

steps/positions taken to reach your present position?• What do you want your next career step to be?• Did you have one or more mentors? If yes were they male or female?• What was the most useful way your mentor(s) helped you?• Salary: do you make less than $100,000 or more than $100,000? (or

leave this question blank if you are not comfortable answering).

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Survey Questions – 2• Are you the chief international officer?• Do you report directly to the Chief Academic Officer? Chief Student

Affairs Officer? President or Chancellor? • If not to one of the above, who do you report to? How many layers are

between you and the Chief Academic Officer, Chief Student Affairs Officer, or President/Chancellor?

• Are you part of the “inner circle/cabinet” of Chief Academic Officer, Chief Student Affairs Officer, or President/Chancellor?

• What units report to you? (list them)• For the international units that exist at your university but do not report

to you, who do they report to?• Are you responsible for any major activities/units that are not part of

international education? If yes, please list them.• In your work outside the United States/Canada, have you experienced any

gender bias? If yes, how often and can you give examples? • Do you think you (or any SIO) could move to the position of Chief

Academic Officer, Academic Dean or President/Chancellor? If no, why not? If yes, what (experience, academic credentials, etc.) would allow you to make such a move?

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Survey Numbers

Questionnaires Male Female

Questionnaires sent 99 40 59

Total responses 74 (74.7%) 34 (85%) 40 (68%)

Total responses of SIOs 56 (73.7%) 29 (52%) 27 (48%)

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Schools in Survey

School type Male FemalePublic 21 (72.4%) 15 (55.6%)Private 8 (27.6%) 11 (40.7%)No response 1 (3.7%)

School Size Male FemaleLess than 15,000 9 (31%) 12 (44.4%)

More than 15,000 20 (69%) 11 (51.9%)

No response 1 (3.7%)

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Reporting StructureWho SIO reports to Male FemaleCAO 24 (82.8%) 19 (70.4%)President or Chancellor 1 (3.4%) 0Other Academic Affairs 4 (13.8%) 7 (25.9%)Other Student Affairs 0 1 (3.7%)None of the above 0 0

SIO in Inner Circle (e.g., Deans Council) Male FemaleYes 17 (58.6%) 13 (48.1%)No 11 (37.9%) 14 (51.9%)No response 1 (3.4%) 0

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Salary & QualificationSIO Salary Male FemaleMore than $100,000 24 (82.8%) 12 (41.4%)Less than $100,000 2 (6.9%) 10 (34.5%)No response 3 (10.3%) 5 (17.2%)

Ph.D. Required of SIO Male FemaleYes 22 (75.8%) 14 (51.8%)Strongly Encouraged 5 (17.2%) 7 (25.9%)No 2 (6.8%) 3 (11.1%)No Answer 0 3 (11.1%)

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Areas of ResponsibilityAreas of SIO Responsibility Male FemaleNo Answer 0 3 (11.1%)ESL 10 (34.3%) 8 (29.6%)International Admissions (Graduate) 5 (17.2%) 1 (3.7%)International Admissions (Undergraduate) 11 (37.9%) 4 (14.8%)International/Global campus programming 24 (82.7%) 15 (55.5%)International risk management 13 (44.8%) 12 (44.4%)International Student & Scholar Services 23 (79.3%) 18 (66.6%)Intl Student Recruitment 13 (44.8%) 10 (37.0%)Internationalizing the Curriculum 18 (62.0%) 11 (40.7%)Languages across the Curriculum 5 (17.2%) 1 (3.7%)Managing Branch Campuses 7 (24.1%) 2 (7.4%)Study Abroad & Exchanges 29 (100.0%) 22 (81.4%)Other 8 (27.5%) 11 (40.7%)

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Educational/Career Path 54 Responses (28 M and 26 F)

BA/MA/JD to Int. Education Administration

Female

3 (6% of T. & 13% of F)

Male

2 (4% of T & 7% of M)

BA/MA/JD to lecturer/ adjunct to Int. Ed. Admin.

0 1 (2% of T & 4% of M)

BA/MA/PHD to Int. Education Administration

6 (11% of T & 23% of F) 7 (13% of T & 25% of M)

BA/MA/PHD to Lecturer/ adjunct to Int. Ed. Admin

2 (4% of T & 3% of F) 1 (2% of T & 4% of M)

BA/MA/PHD to tenure-track/tenure to Int. Education Administration

11 (20% of T & 42% of F) 16 (30% of T & 57% of M)

Unclear/Unknown 4 (7% of T & 15% of F) 1 (2% of T & 4% of M)

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Next Career Step 54 Reponses (28 M & 26 F)

Next Career Step Male Female

Move to another institution/organization

6 4

Stay at present institution 6 7

President/Provost 2 1

Retire 7 5

Back to Faculty 3 0

Dean 1 0

Unsure 2 3

Other: Misc 0 3

No Answer 1 3

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Can SIO move to Chief Academic Officer or President?

Can SIO Move Male Female

NO 7 7

YES 21 19

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NO cannot move: why not?

No cannot move

Must be an academic dean first

Not enough preparation and academic experiences

No faculty reporting to SIO

No Academic experience

SIO seen as “staff” and not “line” management

Not same skill set

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Yes can move: IF….Yes: IF….

If Internationalization is a priority

If you have PHD and teaching/research experience

If you are full professor with tenure

If you have senior faculty rank and publications

If you have tenure

If you have academic experience

If you have broad administrative experience

If you are a known scholar

If you have fundraising experience, you could move to president

Hypothetically yes but better first to be dean (must have academic credentials)

Easier to move to president than chief academic officer

Could move to dean but not to Provost/President

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Did you have one or more Mentors?

Mentors Male Female

Yes 19 20

No 9 4

No Answer 0 2

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If yes, were they male, female or both?

Yes to Mentors Male (Total 19 said yes) Female (Total 20 said yes)

Male Mentor 2 4

Female Mentor 3 3

Both Male and Female 14 13

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What was the most useful way your mentor helped you?

Most useful way Male Female

Listening/advice 0 6

Trust (both directions) 0 3

Helping me understand how I impacted others

1 0

Built my confidence 0 1

Character development 1 0

Teaching/research skills 1 0

Serve as example/guide 2 3

Gave me responsibility/authority/Autonomy/freedom

1 1

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What was the most useful way your mentor helped you? (page 2)

Most useful way Male Female

Encouragement/Believed in me

2 7

Information/Knowledge1.How to prioritize2. How to write grants3. How to manage personnel4. Politics of higher education5. Information about institutional culture6. Information about Administration

11 6

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What were/are your two biggest challenges in moving up the ranks

to present position?Challenges Male Female

Adapting to Institutional culture

1 0

Taking on too many things 1 0

Navigating organizational politics

0 1

Age (youth) 1 0

Effective Communication with many units

1 0

Lower pay than male counterparts

0 1

Lack of mentoring 0 1

Balance: Faculty/Admin. 0 1

Lack of financial resources 2 2

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to present position? (page 2)Challenges Male Female

Adapting to US Culture 1 0

Woman supervising men/no high ranking women

0 1

Transition faculty to admin 1 1

Exclusion from Decision-Making

0 3

Not as personally aggressive as men

0 1

Non-native English speaker/non American

2 0

Lack of acceptance of importance of Internationalization

2 1

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Lack of support (university) 4 3

Resistance from administrative units/deans

6 1

Lack of understanding of need for SIO position

1 0

Decreased time for teaching/research

3 0

Lack of time for family 3 0

Lack of faculty acceptance/lack of credibility with faculty

3 0

Lack of specific knowledge/experience

5 2

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Moving up 2 9

Lack of tenure-track, tenure, faculty experience, Ph.D.

4 5

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Which if either of two challenges were based on gender to some extent?

Challenge(s) based on Gender

Male Female

Neither 24 7

One 4 10

Both 0 5

No Answer 0 4

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For 4 men, how was the challenge based on gender?

1. Females seen more quickly as facilitator and not dictator

2. Not personal experience but speculates that women may have less authority across schools/units at university

3. Raising children: he traveled for job and his wife remained at home.

4. Not personal experience but all male department - very difficult to change

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For 15 women, how were challenge(s) based on gender?

Challenge(s) based on gender Female

Moving UPPay

102

Family Children: Female not on tenure track/husband on tenure track

11

Exclusion from Decision-making 3

More Service & slower promotion 1

Internationalization would have been taken more seriously if male

1

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In your work outside the US/Canada, have you experienced any gender bias?

Gender Bias in work outside the US/Canada

Male Female

Yes 3 7

No 23 17

No Answer 2

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3 Males: yes to gender bias in work outside US, give example.

1. He witnessed scandalous male behavior towards local female staff

2. Foreign partners in China were less respectful of women

3. Female leaders at his university were suspicious that he would try to take credit from them

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7 Females: yes to gender bias in work outside US, give example.

1. When traveling abroad, assumption that men had higher positions

2. Preference by men in foreign countries to deal with/talk to men

3. In China, she was assumed to be the “present carrier”4. Male at partner institution refused to communicate with

women5. Public ceremonies, signing ceremonies at foreign

universities, preference for males to be in charge6. When traveling abroad, her university male colleagues

banded together and excluded her.7. Yes gender bias but not relevant

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Biggest ChallengesWomen in senior leadership positions can experience a varietyof challenges.

The position itself. Oftentimes it is a newly created position Title and scope of the position (varies between institutions) Lines of reporting (varies between institutions) Recognition from fellow senior administrators on campus Lack of a professional network of women in leadership

positions Difficulty in striking life/work balance Educational credentials can override professional experience Earning less than colleagues in senior administration positions

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Female SIO HeadwayDespite existing challenges, women in leadership positions in international

education can make great headway in their position.

– Being considered for leadership position– Considered for professional & personal

background– Blazing a brand new trail for the institution– Helping to internationalize the institution as a

whole– Fostering collaboration between institutional units– Increasing funding for international education– Growing beyond faculty or mid-level

administrative positions

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Female SIO MentoringWomen in leadership positions bring various mentoring styles to their

position.

Accommodating needs of colleagues new to the field Sharing professional experience with younger/newer colleagues Making time for informational interviews and professional

references Learning to work with Millennials and learning new technologies

Women in leadership positions also seek mentoring for themselves.

Working with other SIOs at institutions of similar size/structures Opportunity to tap into a female SIO network for sharing of info &

ideas Opportunity to collaborate on joint projects with fellow SIOs Opportunity to learn from seasoned SIOs

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Female SIO Leadership Styles• Women in leadership positions bring a variety of management styles to

their position and institution.

DEMOCRATIC (listening to various ideas and voices) TEAMWORK (motivate staff to pool their knowledge) TRANSFORMATIVE (working with staff to affect change) GRASSROOTS (working from bottom up approach) CONSENSUS-BUILDING (uniting staff towards common goal) PERMISSIVE (involving staff in decision-making) DIRECTING (setting direct standards and expectations) COACHING (setting staff long-term career goals and strategies) SHARING (sharing of information for wider knowledge and

understanding) WORKING (sharing in the daily work of staff to stay in touch with

issues)

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Lessons Learned•Safe to say women are rising in International Education

•Challenges of work balance will continue to plague us all

•We need to continue building our networks and mentor others

•Take time to reflect on our strengths—leading from the side

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Questions to Consider What type of leader are you?

What type of mentorship do you need?

What challenges do you experience in your position?

What headway have you made in your position?

What would you like to see happen for female SIOs?

Documents

The Evolving Role of the Female SIO: Challenges & Lessons Learned