Helping Women Succeed in Higher Education
May 23, 2012
Photo: Simmons President Helen Drinan, Mount Holyoke College President Lynn Pasquerella, UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean MacCormack, and Susan Duffy, executive director of the Center for Women’s Leadership at Babson College
President Helen Drinan was the moderator for the recent “Women in Higher Education” panel hosted by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network. The event, held May 10 at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston, included panelists Susan Duffy, executive director of the Center for Women’s Leadership at Babson College; Chancellor Jean MacCormack of UMass Dartmouth; and Lynn Pasquerella, president of Mount Holyoke College.
“We in higher education are responsible for preparing women for success,” said Drinan. The panel discussed a variety of topics including women in business and entrepreneurship, encouraging women to take risks, and women helping women succeed. “Talking about risk and failure is helpful to young women,” said Drinan, who went on to explain that if students are exposed to the fact that risk and failure are normal parts of leadership, they are more likely to feel comfortable in this arena.
For more about this panel, including photos, see the Boston Chamber blog http://bostonchamber.com/blog/page/3/http://bostonchamber.com/blog/page/3/
Gwen Ifill – Simmons Gave me the Opportunity to Express Myself
April 30, 2012
Photo: Simmons College President Helen Drinan, right, meeting with Gwen Ifill
President Helen Drinan met with Simmons College alumna and Washington Week moderator Gwen Ifill April 25 in Washington, D.C. Drinan was in Washington as part of a year-long road show across the United States to promote the Making Education Work Campaign.
Ifill, who is a 1977 graduate of Simmons, was the Commencement speaker in 2009 and is currently managing editor and moderator of Washington Week, as well as senior correspondent for the PBS NewsHour. Ifill was recently featured in the SIMMONS magazine discussing how her Simmons education affected her career.
“Simmons gave me the opportunity to be a leader, to take charge and express myself,” said Ifill. “I think it made me stronger and more certain of my ability to do whatever I put my mind to.”To read more of Ifill’s comments, and comments by other Simmons alumnae, click here for the latest issue of the SIMMONS magazine.
Women Supporting Other Women
April 18, 2012
President Drinan was invited to UMASS Medical School in Worcester, Mass., April 3 to deliver a keynote address in honor of Women’s History Month. During the presentation, President Drinan discussed the importance of women supporting other women in the workplace, and about how women should not be deterred by failure.
A blog about her presentation, “ Key to Success is Determining What You Really Want – Simmons College President Shares Her Own History at Women’s History Month Event” also was posted on the UMASS website.
Photo Caption: President Drinan speaking with Elaine Martin, Director of Library Services and Director National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region, UMASS Medical.
Photo by Tim Dailey
15 Years for Colleges of the Fenway
April 2, 2012
Photo L-R: COF Executive Director Claire Ramsbottom, MCPHS President Charles F. Monahan, Simmons College President Helen Drinan; Wentworth Institute of Technology President Zorica Pantic; and Wheelock College President Jackie Jenkins-Scott.
The Colleges of the Fenway consortium celebrated its 15-year anniversary last week with a special luncheon recognizing all six of the participating colleges: Simmons College, Emmanuel College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Wheelock College. Created in 2003, the consortium has created numerous projects and events, and initiated shared resources such as cross registration and the Fenway Card payment system, all of which benefit students, faculty and staff.
During the event, Simmons College Assistant Registrar Sharon Roberts and Associate Professor of Chemistry Michael Berger were honored with Collaboration Awards.
Simmons Celebrates With the Girl Scouts
April 2, 2012
Photo L-R: Dean Renee White, Professor Janie Ward, Simmons President Helen Drinan, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts CEO Ruth Bramson, Simmons Provost Charlena Seymour, SimmonsVP of Marketing Cheryl Howard
In celebration of the Girl Scouts 100th anniversary, several members of the Simmons College community attended a gala event March 29 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. More than 600 people attended the special dinner, which included a fashion show of scouting uniforms over the years, and a talk by Chelsea Clinton. The Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts is an important partner to Simmons, because of our aligned interest in the education of girls and women.
Simmons Hosts Black Women's Health Event
March 29, 2012
On March 13, Simmons College hosted a special event “What Does it Take to be Black, Female, and Healthy in America?” Sponsored by The Black Women’s Health Imperative, the only organization devoted to advancing the health and wellness of America's black women and girls, the event also included a panel discussion about black women’s health.
Photo Caption from left: Simmons College Arts and Sciences Dean Renee T. White; Simmons College School of Nursing and Health Sciences Dean Judy Beal; Founder of the Black Women’s Health Imperative Byllye Avery; Dr. Paula Johnson of Brigham and Women's Hospital; Cassandra Clay of Boston University; and Eleanor Hinton-Hoytt of the Black Women's Health Imperative.
Fulbright Scholars Convene at Simmons
March 28, 2012
A group of 29 Fulbright Scholars convened at Simmons in March as part of a prestigious Fulbright grant organized by the Office of the Provost. The three-day 2012 Fulbright Leadership and Re-entry Seminar for Women from Latin America include a series of interactive workshops and activities at Simmons, tours of Boston, and a panel discussion with Boston women leaders.
Simmons faculty and staff involved wit the grant included: Professor and Director of the Center for Gender in Organizations Patricia Deyton, Director of Executive Education Elisa van Dam, Study Abroad Program Manager Laura Bey, School of Social Work Dean Stefan Krug, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Renée T. White, and School of Management Dean Cathy Minehan.
For more information, visit Fulbright.state.gov.
President Helen Drinan's Op-ed "Women's Colleges Tap Underutilized Leadership Talent" Appears on Boston.com
March 2, 2012
The op-ed below "Women's Colleges Tap Underutilized Leadership Talent" written by President Helen Drinan appeared on Boston.com, Feb. 28, 2012.
By Helen Drinan
In a few short months, thousands of newly minted college graduates will leave Boston with dreams of future success. According to the U.S. Census, more than half of these students will be women; and according to the consulting firm McKinsey & Co, if we check back with these women in several years, they will not have attained the same level of success as their male counterparts.
Research by McKinsey and the women’s advocacy group Catalyst shows that women account for more than half of entry-level professionals in the largest American industrial corporations, but only 14 percent are on executive committees. Women represent just 3 percent of Fortune500 CEOs, and less than 15 percent of corporate executives at top companies worldwide. The sad truth is that only minimal progress has been made in the past few decades for women to make a significant break-through into leadership positions.
The reasons for this disparity are multifaceted, yet one of the strongest answers to this problem, I believe, can be found at some of America’s most enduring institutions: women’s colleges. As a graduate and president of a women’s college, I have no doubt that these educational outlets continue to play a vital role in educating and preparing women for leadership positions, helping our nation tap into an enormous segment of underutilized talent.
At women’s colleges, women are the ones receiving their university’s top prizes, prestigious graduate fellowships, or holding major campus-wide leadership roles. This experience rang true for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a Wellesley graduate, who said her all-female college experience “guaranteed a focus on academic achievement and extracurricular leadership we might have missed at a coed college...Women not only ran all the student activities – from student government to newspaper to clubs – but we also felt freer to take risks, make mistakes and even fail in front of one another.”
In contrast, a recent study at an Ivy League college revealed that at 10 of the most prestigious co-educational institutions, women undergraduates were less likely to receive the university’s top prizes, prestigious graduate fellowships, or hold major campus-wide leadership roles, despite the fact that they outperformed their male counterparts in all academic achievement.
Not only do women’s colleges provide more opportunities, but they also provide students with strong female role models, particularly in fields traditionally dominated by men such as science, engineering, and mathematics. (At women's colleges, the majority of the presidents are women, and more than half of the faculty members are women.)
Among the more profound advantages of women’s colleges is that they encourage women to take risks during the course of their careers, without fear of failure. That failure can be a necessary part of the path to leadership. This is a liberating and revolutionary way to make life choices, and one women’s colleges have been promoting for years.
The success of women’s college graduates compels us to persevere and share with the world what we know about the power of women’s colleges in producing leaders like Clinton (Wellesley), Kathleen Sebelius, U.S.
Secretary of Health and Human Services (Trinity Washington University), Pulitzer Prize winning author and playwright Suzan Lori-Parks (Mount Holyoke College) and national broadcast journalist Gwen Ifill (Simmons College).
Certainly, a woman’s college isn’t for everyone; single-gender education has many detractors. A recent study by the journal Science magazine declared sex-segregation to be “misguided,” asserting there was no empirical evidence that boys and girls learn differently. Others will debate that unless you learn in a coed environment, you are unprepared to work with the opposite sex.
But why is it, that in spite of the fact that women now have access to the same institutions of higher learning as men, and outperform them in both academic achievement and completion rates, that this success is not translating into equal achievement in their careers?
Clearly something is not working. Women’s colleges have been educating women for leadership and achievement for years, and that work is needed more now than ever. If you influence a girl or woman in your life who aspires to leadership opportunities, do her a favor and suggest she attend a women’s college. Chances are, she will thank you later from a position of success.
Helen Drinan is president of Simmons College.
Simmons President Helen Drinan Receives Pinnacle Award
February 6, 2012
Photo Caption: Simmons President Helen Drinan (above right) was one of eight women to receive a Pinnacle Award from the Boston Chamber of Commerce on Jan. 26. Read more about the 2012 winners here.
The following opinion piece by President Helen Drinan appeared in the Feb. 3 print edition of the Boston Business Journal. It also appeared on the Boston Business Journal website.
Women Leaders Need to Risk Failure in Order to Succeed
This past week, I was honored to receive a 2012 Pinnacle Award from the Boston Chamber of Commerce. I was one of eight women in the Boston area recognized for achievement in industries such as media, healthcare, energy, business, and education.
I was blessed to have with me colleagues from Simmons College, friends, and family including my daughter, and 12-year-old granddaughter. As I sat waiting for my name to be called, I wondered what my young granddaughter was thinking. Here she was, surrounded by hundreds of successful women talking about leadership. Would she have the same opportunities as these women? Will she have more? Will she attempt to do something out of her comfort zone? And will she be supported in these attempts by women mentors and peers? I certainly hope so because in order to move our nation forward and meet the many challenges before us, it’s crucial that women – half of our workforce population – realize their full potential.
Many of the women who were honored with me at the Pinnacle Awards talked about their experiences with risk during the course of their careers. And I too shared my story of risk, and failure, and lessons learned.
When I returned from the Peace Corps in the early 70s, I was enthusiastic about pursuing a career as a foreign service officer. This position required a written exam, given only once a year, followed by an oral exam. For three years I followed the process, and I failed.
The first year, I failed the written exam. The second year, I passed the written exam, got myself all dressed up for the oral, and failed it. Same thing the third year. I remember being totally deflated and — in a moment of painful clarity — I realized I was not destined to be part of the foreign service. Ironically, roughly 25 years after I had applied and been denied to the foreign service, I was asked to be the named plaintiff in a class action suit against the State Department for employment discrimination against women. I certainly felt a sense of justice, but it never erased my speculation about what might have been.
Did I “give up on my dreams”? Some may say yes, but I think the hallmark of a good leader is someone who realizes that within failure lies new opportunities and new dreams.
Every leader – man or woman – has experienced failure in some fashion and has learned from that. Leaders understand that when life moves you in a different direction, you must respond. Women need to understand and be comfortable with the fact that failure is not the end, it is simply part of the path to leadership.
Student Wins Scholarship for Community Service
January 19, 2012
Photo Caption: Sociology Professor Stephen London; Simmons President Helen Drinan; Rita Shah, Neha Shah; Jennifer Nodelman, Vice President of Education Finance, Citizens Bank; and Rick Musiol, Senior Vice President, Director of Public Affairs, Citizens Bank.
Dix Scholar Rita Shah was recently awarded a $1,500 scholarship by Citizens Bank for her work with domestic violence victims and Indian senior citizens.
On Jan. 17 Citizens Bank representatives visited Simmons to present Shah with a check. The scholarship can be applied toward her final semester of college – Shah is on track to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in social justice in May.
The TruFit Good Citizens Scholarship program was established in 2011 to reward students for giving back to their communities. Shah was one of just 20 students to receive the scholarship out of nearly 1,800 applicants. She and the other winners were chosen for their “incredible dedication to the quality of life of others,” said Brendan Coughlin, President of Education Finance, Citizens Financial Group.
“We commend them for the impact they have had as volunteers,” Coughlin added.
Shah, who commutes to Simmons from Burlington, Mass., works part-time for the Council on Aging helping Indian senior citizens. One of her programs, which began two years ago with a handful of participants, now attracts upwards of 40 seniors.
She has also done extensive work for the South Asian Women’s Network (SAHELI) helping domestic violence victims. She said giving back was instilled in her at a young age.
“I was always taught by my parents to do something good for others,” she said. “Life is too short.”
Though she’ll be graduating in May, her Simmons experience has motivated Shah to continue her education through a master’s or doctoral program. Her youngest daughter, Neha, is currently a sophomore at Simmons studying physical therapy.
“The professors and students really accepted me as one of them,” Shah said. “It’s been such a great journey.”
On This Page
- Helping Women Succeed in Higher Education
May 23, 2012 - Gwen Ifill – Simmons Gave me the Opportunity to Express Myself
April 30, 2012 - Women Supporting Other Women
April 18, 2012 - 15 Years for Colleges of the Fenway
April 2, 2012 - Simmons Celebrates With the Girl Scouts
April 2, 2012 - Simmons Hosts Black Women's Health Event
March 29, 2012 - Fulbright Scholars Convene at Simmons
March 28, 2012 - President Helen Drinan's Op-ed "Women's Colleges Tap Underutilized Leadership Talent" Appears on Boston.com
March 2, 2012 - Simmons President Helen Drinan Receives Pinnacle Award
February 6, 2012 - Student Wins Scholarship for Community Service
January 19, 2012
