Women leaders in higher education project launches at RGU

An important project – entitled Exploring Higher Education Institutions’ mechanisms for support of current and aspiring women leaders in universities and colleges – has been launched this week at Robert Gordon University (RGU).

The project, funded by Advance HE and based at RGU, will investigate how higher education institutions support current and aspiring women leaders, from the viewpoint of both the institutions and the women themselves.

It is designed to be of benefit to both the higher education sector in the UK and members of Advance HE through the generation of data and findings that can inform policy and highlight best practice.

Project lead, Professor Lesley Diack, commented: “The wide-ranging nature of the project aims to represent the views and experiences of women in a range of disciplinary and institutional contexts.

“With the current focus on gender pay equality, it is important for the university sector to have a clear picture of the support offered to women leaders and those who aspire to leadership in our higher education institutions.”

The project team launched the project and a related survey at a workshop at the Aurora Conference 2018 in London on Thursday 7 June.

The online survey will be used to gain women’s views and experiences across the UK academic environment and institutions of current support mechanisms, resources available, impact measures, examples of best practice and any collaborations or networks, for the advancement of current and aspiring women leaders.

Advance HE’s Dr Lesly Huxley added: “We have commissioned this project to further our understanding of gender parity in higher education and to share what works in practice to support current and aspiring women leaders; it is through such understanding and sharing that real and long-lasting change can be achieved.”

The team are keen to encourage women who work in all functions in higher education to be involved in the project by completing the survey. This includes those in academic and professional services posts, in pre- and post-1992 universities, and in STEM and non-STEM disciplines.

More information about the project, with a link to the survey, can be found here: https://www3.rgu.ac.uk/women-leaders-in-higher-education

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