Diverse Issues in Higher Education
By Walter Hudson
June 24, 2021
The state of Massachusetts is touting some positive news: the increasing number of female college and university presidents.
According to a recent study released by the Women’s Power Gap Initiative of the Eos Foundation, the number of women of color in the state have more than doubled over the past three years, with six women welcoming their first women presidents.
Intentionality, industry leaders say, can be credited for the dramatic increase among women. The Massachusetts College and University Presidents Progress Snapshot has followed the hiring of college presidents from 2018 to 2021.
“We cannot emphasize enough how significant these gains are,” said Andrea Silbert, President of Eos. “Bringing attention to the underrepresentation of women and BIPOC leaders in 2018 and working in partnership with a dedicated group of college and university presidents over the past three years has led to significant gains, particularly for Black women leaders. We are trending in the right direction, but there is still much work to be done.”
