The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Committee was charged with identifying resources at the University of Maine that encourage the participation of women in science and engineering, both as students and as faculty; identifying ways to increase the recruitment and retention of women in these areas and recommending ways that the University can support this effort.
Our work has convinced us that this initiative would benefit individual women as well as contributing to the good of the University and society as a whole. We have found that although some departments and programs are more successful than others in addressing issues facing women students and faculty in science and engineering, there are no institutionalized organizations, guidelines, or goals directed toward these issues. We believe that significant progress and long-term change will result if there is campus-wide commitment. To that end, the WISE Committee recommends:
1. Recruiting and retaining women in fields of science and engineering at the University of Maine, both as students and as faculty, be made a high priority of the Affirmative Action Plan of the University.
2. The Women in Science and Engineering Committee of the University of Maine (WISE) be institutionalized as a standing committee, appointed by the President, and charged with developing an annual plan recommending a full spectrum of activities directed towards women in science and engineering. Furthermore, we recommend that approximately $20,000 be made available for FY 93 to be earmarked for the WISE Committee (pending approval of a plan and attached budget) to initiate several high-profile, relatively low-cost programs to create institutional momentum for change.
3. Commitment to and accountability for these goals be assured at all levels of the University (i.e., department chairs and faculty, deans and directors, vice presidents, and the president) through allocation of resources and evaluation of programs
