AdvanceVT Leadership Development Programs : Final Assessment

Each academic year from 2004-05 through 2007-08, AdvanceVT offered faculty women opportunities to develop leadership skills and to enhance their visibility in the university. Among respondents to AdvanceVT’s 2005 Faculty Work-Life Survey, 47% of the tenured and tenure-track women indicated that they aspired to a leadership position beyond their current position compared with only 31% of the male respondents, and 77% of the women versus only 55% of men indicated an interest in opportunities to develop their leadership skills. However, only 29% of the women faculty and 48% of the men agreed that it is possible to hold a leadership position at Virginia Tech while balancing work and personal responsibilities, and even fewer (18% of women and 24% of men) believed that it is possible to maintain an active research program while in a leadership role. AdvanceVT’s leadership programs were designed to address women faculty members’ interest in leadership development as well as concerns about balancing demands of research and family with a leadership role.