Co-author: Julie Kumble
On the one hand, it was just
another elective course proposal. On the other hand, it could also be described
as an experiment in teaching and learning within the context of one of the most
vexing issues in veterinary medicine, the continuing gap in women’s leadership.
So, we asked the question:
Would veterinary students at Cornell
University
be interested in a course in women’s
leadership?
If so, it would be the first
of its kind, anywhere.
Since the formation of the
Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI) last fall, we have felt that we needed to test the waters to see if there would
be interest in a student symposium directed specifically at women’s leadership. An email was sent to all Cornell students on December 23rd asking them
if they would be interested in devoting a weekend day in March to the topic.
Within a few hours, half a dozen
students had sent emails requesting to be enrolled and justifying why they
wanted to take the course. Responses continued to come in over the break and
well before the January 5th deadline we had reached the course limit
of 25 students. We subsequently increased the limit, enrolling 35 students, including three men, to participate in the six-hour symposium on March 1st.
Student Course in Women’s Leadership,
Cornell University
Screenshot of the Title Slide for the
Opening Presentation
(Prezi presentation designed and prepared by David
Seader ‘16, who also participated in the symposium.)
Being a Saturday
morning, we opened with a continental breakfast. To facilitate introductions,
the morning session began with a dozen students sharing their rationale for taking the course.
We then gave a
90-minute presentation about women’s leadership, drawing heavily upon our
research in the four areas of organized veterinary medicine, clinical practice,
industry, and academia. Our goals were to raise the awareness about the gap in women’s
leadership, promote understanding of the need to have women in leadership
positions, and share best practices from both within and outside veterinary
medicine.
Within the domain
of organized veterinary medicine, we presented data on women in leadership
positions at the national level (American Veterinary Medical Association, AVMA)
and the local and state levels, with emphasis on states like Iowa which have
instituted numerous policy changes to promote leadership of women in particular
and younger veterinarians in general.
Considering
clinical practice, we shared information from the 2013 National ResearchCouncil study that documented significantly lower return on educational investment
for associates compared to owners. This topic would be the focus of the noon panel which featured three practice
owners. We also presented data from various sources showing lower levels of
compensation for women, beginning with starting salaries and continuing throughout
their careers.
For the discussion
of industry, data were drawn from Fortune 500 companies, to major veterinary
companies. Emphasis was on the need for a critical mass of women (generally
viewed as 30%) to be present at the top leadership of companies in order for
the culture of that company to reflect good business practices for men and
women alike, as well as to enhance profits and achieve better standing in their
respective industries. We also posited that it was important for transparency
of leadership at the top and noted that this deficit in some private companies where
there is no legal requirement for board members to be identified publicly.
Finally, we
discussed academia where, despite over three decades of affirmative action
policies, we still have only six women deans in the US, a mere 20% in a domain
that one would expect to be leading the way. Furthermore, the last five dean
appointments have all been males. We used academia as a prime example of the
“leaky pipeline” where the percentage of women tends to decrease as
appointments are made into more senior positions.
Having considered the
current state in these domains, we turned our attention to identifying and
explaining some of the barriers to women’s leadership drawn from substantive
research in the field. We talked about:
- · systemic barriers, such as the lack of term limits in many positions in organized veterinary medicine;
- · cultural barriers, such as differences in women’s personal and professional priorities, and gender stereotypes;
- · psychological barriers, the lack of self-promotion and the so-called “perfection complex” and self-assessment traits of women compared to men;
- · economic barriers, showing disparity in salaries as well as differences in negotiation styles between men and women, and promoting the concept of paid family leave policies.
Student Course in Women’s Leadership,
Cornell University
Screen shot of the Introduction to the
Subtitle, “Overcoming the Barriers”
(Prezi Presentation by designed and prepared by David
Seader ‘16, student participant)
After presenting
data on the current state of the profession and then identifying barriers for
women’s leadership, we tapped the bank of our research and presented specific
examples of how women have overcome obstacles.
For organized veterinary medicine, we drew heavily upon the experience
in Iowa mentioned above. We then focused at some length on mentors and their
impact on one’s career, using examples from organized veterinary medicine (Dr.Eva Evans) and academia (Deans Sheila Allen and Deborah Kochevar).
Relative to
practice ownership, we talked about women, including the guest presenters who
each owned their practices, to others who overcame some of the logistical
barriers of single ownership by joining with others (often women) to co-own or
multi-own practices.
We highlighted
industry-based strategies, such as programs at Zoetis and Hill’s Pet Nutrition,
which have been successful in developing women leaders. Again, we used specific examples from our
interviews with women leaders in industry, such as Dr. Christine Jenkins
(Zoetis).
The last segment of
our presentation, entitled, “Bridging the Leadership Gap,” was intended to
provide a greater degree of clarity for how the percentage of women leaders can
be increased in the next few years. We gave specific examples, such as how some
gender stereotypes and cultural biases do, in fact, create a climate where
fewer women either run for elected office, or are appointed into leadership
positions. Men, we argued, need to be aware of these issues as much as women if
we are going to be able to see a truly balanced profession that will benefit
all veterinarians.
We counseled female
students to challenge their “perfection complex,” giving examples of how women
can confidently perform admirably in leadership positions (just like men) even
if they don’t have the entire skill set in place at the onset. We encouraged self-nomination
for office and ignoring the fear of not getting a position.
To complete the
presentation, we focused on developing leadership competencies. This included taking
formal training programs to enhance leadership competencies such as financial
and management acumen, negotiation and public speaking skills, and building a
strong mentoring support system.
Student Course in Women’s Leadership,
Cornell University
Guest presenters at front are Drs. Linda
Tintle (speaking), Susan Wylegala and Andrea Dennis-LaVigne
(Photo by the author, 2014)
During the working lunch, the
three invited veterinarians formed a panel, describing their experiences in
private practice and business, and in organized veterinary medicine at the
state level. They gave substantive presentations and were amazingly
upbeat. “You have a veterinary degree
and you can do anything,” was the recurring theme, and they provided example
after example based upon their real-world experiences to prove their point. The
panelists were Dr. Linda Tintle, owner of Wurtsboro Veterinary Clinic and past president of the New York State Veterinary Medical Society (NYSVMS),
Dr. Susan Wylegala, owner of Cheektowaga Veterinary Hospital and Executive Board member of the NYSVMS, and Dr. Andrea Dennis- LaVigne, owner of the Bloomfield Animal Hospital and President-Elect of the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association.
This one-hour segment
generated questions on a wide range of topics from how to do clinical research
while running a practice, to asking if the panelists would be willing to open
their books to students interested in knowing more about running a business.
The session energized and, at times, electrified the students. Two-thirds of
them later reported it as the most informative and helpful segment of the day.
Student Course in Women’s Leadership,
Cornell University
Student group working on developing a
plan for mentoring
(Photo by the author, 2014)
The third segment of the
course returned to the issue of “essential skills” in becoming an effective
leader, and the steps to reach that goal. We focused primarily on networking,
mentoring, and role models. This took the form of a working session where the small
groups of students, assisted by the guest presenters, worked to articulate
goals and expectations for developing an individualized mentoring program.
The capstone of the afternoon
was completion of an exercise in which each student wrote down her or his
specific goals, and the time frame for achieving them. They were written on
specially-made bookmarks identifying the course name and date, and then the
bookmarks were inserted inside a copy of Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead,
which was given to each of the students and guest presenters at the close of
the day.
As the students mingled and talked to the guest presenters and amongst themselves afterwards, they began to plan the development of a Student Chapter of the Women's Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative. As we write this story less than a month later, the Cornell student chapter is not only about to become reality, but chapters are is also about to be established at two or three other colleges. The excitement and enthusiasm are palpable.
Dr. Smith invites comments at dfs6@cornell.edu
