Committee on Women Faculty

About Us

The Committee on Women Faculty (COWF) was created in 2010 in the Office of the Provost to ensure an equitable campus climate and to guide the campus in developing initiatives, policies and programs that will support the professional flourishing of female faculty. The COWF exists to support the following three functions: assessment (monitor levels of gender inclusiveness involving faculty and identify issues of concern to female faculty related to gender); advocacy (encourage faculty who are facing issues of gender discrimination to bring concerns to the committee, refer as needed, advocate when appropriate and generate appropriate and related policy recommendations in response to the concerns); and action (implement recommendations, educate the campus community on gender-related issues and coordinate educational and action strategies with related campus departments).

Resources

Women in the Classroom — Digital Commons

Committee Accomplishments

Support periodic "gender climate" studies to gauge the well-being of Biola women faculty
Formally guided university stakeholders on issues impacting women faculty on topics which included:
- Cross-gender collegiality
- Equity in promotion and hiring
- Resource and workload allocation
Provided training to faculty on policies and best practices which included:

Inclusive syllabus language
Student-faculty bullying
Equitable practices for classroom discussions

Advocated for policies to help women faculty flourish including:

Family-friendly policies, including parental leave, ¾ time contracts, lactation rooms and childcare options
Hiring an Ombudsperson
Equitable research and promotion support