Seeking greater leadership roles for women
Posted: August 26, 2015 6:00 a.m.
President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Vianne Timmons with delegates from nine partner universities from around the world attending the Transformational Leadership in Higher Education conference at the U of R (Photo by Rae Graham - U of R Photography).
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University of Regina President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Vianne Timmons says there are still plenty of challenges facing women who aspire to be in leadership roles.
“There are still people who find it hard to believe that a woman can be President of an organization like a university,” says Dr. Timmons, who in 2008 became the first woman appointed President of a university in Saskatchewan. “Women are under-represented in leadership positions - and it’s still an issue in North America and around the world.”
Dr. Timmons made the comments as part of her keynote address at the opening of the conference, “Transformational Leadership in Higher Education: Women at the Forefront of Professional Coaching,” held at the University of Regina. The delegates come from nine partner universities from around the world.
Dr. Timmons notes that in 2011, for the first time in Canadian history there were more working women than men who had post-secondary degrees, and that there are more women than men studying at university now.
“But there is still a big gap in terms of female leadership,” she says.
The program focuses on transformational leadership that aims the empowerment of women leaders in higher education roles to positively reform their institutions.
Program participants are learning how coaching and mentoring can encourage a supportive/collaborative approach to leadership instead of one that is directing or controlling in nature.
In her address to the delegates, Dr. Timmons urged women to seek out mentors and identify strong leaders for advice.
“My mother is a great example for me of a strong leader. In addition, I’ve built a network of colleagues – women leaders – with whom I can discuss issues,” says President Timmons. “Being a leader is a journey and not a destination. There’s always more to learn and new people from whom to learn. It’s an evolving process that is never complete.”
Among the people giving presentations are: Livia Castellanos, Director of UR International; Dr. Shauneen Pete, Executive Lead on Indigenization at the U of R; and Dr. Judy White, Dean of the Faculty of Social Work.
The visitors represent U of R partner universities in Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico and Spain.
“I’m finding out that in some countries those questions of tutoring and mentoring are much more advanced than they are from my perspective in France,” says Catherine Kerbrat-Reullan, who teaches English and is the Associate Dean in the Humanities and Languages Faculty at the University of Southern Brittany in France.
“It is very important to listen to other women and compare experiences,” adds Marie Eugenia Perez Herrea, who teaches in the Faculty of Social Work at Juarez University in Mexico and is responsible for gender programs there.
The conference is sponsored by the U of R, UR International, the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education, and EMULIES, an organization that encourages connecting women leaders from Higher Education Institutions. The conference continues until August 28.