HISTORY of the Project

2001-2002

During the 2001-2002 academic year, the Women's Organizational Coordinating Council discussed the potential of conducting an analysis of the status of women at MSU. The discussion continued with Provost Lou Anna Kimsey Simon's vision in shaping the scope and methodologies of the project. In 2002, the Provost requested that the MSU Women's Commission work as lead for the project, with the MSU Women's Resource Center providing infrasturctural support.

Initially, the Project's planning group was formed from representatives from: the Women's Advisory Committees to the Provost (WACP), the Vice President for Finance, Personnel, and Operations (WACFPO), and the Vice President for Student Affairs and Services (WACSAS); ASMSU Women's Council; and the Council of Graduate Students (COGS). The initial objective was to assess the campus climate for women faculty, staff, and students, but the actual scope of the study needed further clarification. It was determined that the study would include: recruitment and retention in all categories; a review of equity relative to comparable worth, assignment, and promotional opportunity; safety issues; a Title IX inventory; prohibitive forms of harassment; and family-related policies and practices.

The WACP, WACFPO, and WACSAS then identified the women who would represent the respective committees. Since this Project has been initiated as a two-year process, its time frame may extend beyond the anticipated tenure of some of those members on the committees they represent -- in that case, the committee may wish to agree that a continuation on the planning committee is appropriate, as well as adding others whose membership is current in the university-wide groups.

Spring 2003

On March 24, 2003, the Status of Women Project Design Team met for the first time. At that meeting, the group continued to shape the objectives of the study, and began to ask more specific questions about its structure:

• How will we define climate?
  "Weather is what happens today; climate is long-term." There is a significant body of literature addressing the topic of 'climate' on college and university campuses, and the team began to identify those resources.



• How inclusive should the Project be?
  Data on all women by demographic characteristics in any personnel system; data on all undergraduate, graduate, and professional women students; review of Federal, State, and University policies that impact women; women-centered programs; equity studies; directory of research done by women; attention given to what's going right, in addition to what needs attention -- best practices, research productivity, etc.



• What is the timeline for the Project?
  - Project plan: Fall 2003
  - Project data collection: 10/2003 - 10/2004
  - Project report: by year-end 2004

In April 2003, membership for the committee was determined, and the group, now called the "Design and Oversight Task Force," began to brainstorm possible methods for research. Initial suggestions included focus groups, individual interviews, web-based surveys, and integrated data analyses. The first 'official' meeting and substantive work session of the Task Force was scheduled for June 3, 2003.

Summer 2003

Meeting on June 3, July 8, July 24, and August 5, the Task Force spent Summer 2003 in preparation for the research phase of the Project -- preparation for that work -- analyzing the research models provided by other universities, learning about the organizational structure of MSU, organizing the Task Force into work groups, and determining a set of concrete goals for the project. Marty Hesse, Pam Beemer, Donna Zischke, Pat Enos, June Youatt, and Karen Klomparens visited summer work sessions to educate the committee members about the University's structure and policies. Additionally, the Task Force determined more specifically the methods to be used in the research phase of the Project:

• Public forums to determine major issues (Fall 2003)
• Focus groups with various constituent groups
• Personal interviews with focus group members and/or university administrators
• Online surveys to gather personal narratives
• Analysis of institutional data and statistics -- what does the institution know about itself? The committee also noted the importance of returning to statistical data before, after, and between qualitative analyses, in order to both put qualitative data in a macroscopic context, and to suggest those qualitative data that can't be known statistically

The Task Force also conducted an analysis of existing studies from other Big Ten institutions, began to shape a communication plan (which includes this website), and collected information about existing studies and institutional data resources that can be included in their analysis.

Fall 2003

Public forums