Harvard Women Looking for Equality

Poor Harvard President Larry H. Summers. After making some controversial remarks about women and their lack of mathematical and science skills on January 14, he has been closely watched by faculty, students and Boston media over the past 4 months. Well, Summers has taken a step in the right direction on Monday when he announced a $50 million dollar pledge to improve Harvard for its female population over the next 10 years. With two reports being released by Harvard's Task Force on Women Faculty and Women in Science and Engineering, many programs have been suggested to close up the male-female gap over on the Cambridge campus.

The first step Summers plans to make is to hire a new "Senior Provost for Diversity and Faculty Development," who would look to increase female and minority hiring at the University. This person would also keep tabs on much-needed research on how women are treated (a recommendation that the Task Force believes "lends credibility to various issues rather than allowing them to be dismissed as anecdotes" (These women mean business!))

Part of the $50 million will go toward funding 40 new faculty positions for women in the next 5 years. It will also address Summers' comments about women and science, by setting up summer research programs as well as making female science students and faculty more comfortable in their departments. There is also talk of formal mentoring and advising too.

So Summers has put some money where his mouth is and will hopefully stick to his pledge. Harvard community members and the public can comment on the reports via the Web thru June 30. Bostonist hopes that the women of Harvard get their proposed programs implemented and it won't take until 2015 to finally see some changes.