Mission

The ASU Faculty Women’s Association (FWA) is a volunteer organization that has been an active advocate for increasing the status and participation of women on the ASU campus since 1954.

FWA and its executive board strive to be an effective voice for women faculty at ASU. In addition to working for changes in policies, practices and attitudes on campus, FWA provides career development and networking opportunities for women at all faculty ranks, as well as graduate student awards and stipends that recognize and celebrate women’s achievements. FWA maintains an ongoing dialogue with university leadership to improve the climate for women at ASU and provide a congenial atmosphere for faculty at all levels.

The continuing discussions on the underrepresentation of women in tenured faculty ranks and administrative positions in higher education remind us of the need for a strong faculty women’s organization to work for institutional change in the academe. In this time of growth and transition at our university, FWA endeavors to be an active force on behalf of gender and diversity concerns.

General Information

The ASU Faculty Women’s Association was initiated at ASU in 1954. The FWA is a volunteer organization whose focus is to identify and advocate for needed changes in policies, practices, and attitudes on campus, in order to create a welcoming and equitable environment where academic women can succeed and excel.

The FWA is lead by a president, who generally serves a one- or two-year term and is elected by the FWA executive board. In addition to overseeing the work of the association, the FWA president works directly with the FWA Executive Board on advocacy concerns, initiatives and the development of programming. In general, the FWA Executive Board consists of 18-20 women faculty members and administrators, representing a wide variety of disciplines and units. The goal of the association’s structure is to provide a wide variety of perspectives that is representative of the experiences of faculty women across the university. The work of the FWA president and executive board is supported and coordinated by a half-time coordinator, provided by the provost’s office.

The FWA maintains an open and ongoing dialogue with university leadership on issues of concern related to the status and visibility of women faculty. The FWA president generally meets personally with ASU’s president and provost at least twice a year to discuss areas of concern and strategies for improvement.

In addition to advocacy efforts, the Faculty Women’s Association also hosts a wide variety of programming and workshops open to all faculty women. Some of these workshop topics include preparing for tenure and promotion, leadership development, successful negotiations and work/life balance. Additionally, the FWA provides a variety of networking opportunities through receptions, gatherings, brown bag lunches and our annual awards program.

FWA is a volunteer organization, whose success relies on the contributions and support from its members. With a few exceptions, funding for FWA programming and events comes exclusively from membership dues. Members are able to pledge additional funds to go towards graduate student awards, stipends and/or FWA programming.

For more information about joining the Faculty Women’s Association, click on Membership Information. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Engler, coordinator for the FWA.

History and Accomplishments

The ASU Faculty Women’s Association has a long history of accomplishment in advocating and promoting the success of women faculty. Listed below are just a few examples of some of our recent accomplishments:

Madame President: Summit on Women of Color, Leadership and the Learned Societies—February 2009
Designed and implemented by Prof. Stanlie James, former FWA president, and current director of African and African American Studies, the Madame President Summit was a unique leadership conference focused on the topic of women of color as intellectual leaders of learned societies. The summit took nearly two years of planning. It brought recognition to this historic time when women of color have been elected to serve as presidents of learned societies, including the American Sociological Association, American Political Science Association, American Studies Association, the American Library Association and the American Historical Association. Held on Feb. 27 and 28, the summit provided a variety of forums for dynamic and inspiring discussion on race, gender and leadership. The summit was a great success and nearly 200 faculty, students and staff attended.

FWA Women’s Leadership Project & Pilot Program – Spring & Fall 2008
Designed by FWA leaders Dr. Stanlie James (Director of African and African American Studies) and Dr. Mary Margaret Fonow (Director of Women & Gender Studies), the purpose of the FWA Women’s Leadership program was to develop and train faculty women for possible future leadership roles at ASU, which in turn, could increase the number of women in leadership positions at the University.  The leadership program was developed and piloted through CLAS.  Eighteen faculty members were selected as participants for the pilot program, with thirteen comprising the training group.  Over the course of the Spring and Fall semesters, the group participated a number of leadership development seminars and workshops.  Some of the seminar topics included: “Understanding the Institution: Organizational Culture, Mission & Vision,” “Leadership and Strategic Decision Making,” “Facilitating a Vision: Day to Day Realities of Administrative Leadership,” and “Building Diversity.”  The program concluded in May 2008.  The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost has agreed to institutionalize a faculty leadership program, based on the FWA Pilot Program.  The leadership program will be developed and directed through the Office for the Development of Transformational Leaders.