In the spring, we wrote to share the final report and recommendations of Brown’s Task Force on the Status of Women Faculty (https://go.brown.edu/women-report), which undertook an extensive data-driven analysis to identify  disparities in opportunities and outcomes between women and men faculty. The task force noted many important areas in which no gender-based differences were found and identified other areas in which improvements are needed.

We are writing today to share more information about the actions the University will take in response to these recommendations and our plans for implementation.

The report’s broad recommendations for improvement addressed:

• Expanding the number of women faculty at all ranks
• Ensuring equity in compensation, promotion, retention and service loads
• Developing improved mechanisms to address bias, harassment and misconduct
• Providing better information and support to faculty on human-resources related issues
• Improving access to childcare
• Enhancing training for department chairs

There are several early commitments and actions underway to address the recommendations of the report, including the establishment of an implementation team that will develop an action plan for prioritizing, spearheading and tracking the implementation of these priorities over the long term.

These efforts, outlined below, align closely with our work as we assess the results of the 2023 Campus Climate Survey (https://go.brown.edu/climate) to revise and develop campus structures, policies, and procedures to ensure that all campus community members are supported and able to thrive in their living, learning, and working environments.

FACULTY SUPPORTS: A key focus area that emerged from the report is the need to develop better strategies for faculty development; increase opportunities for leadership; create programming that assists faculty in reaching their professional goals; and work closely with senior leadership across the University to support faculty. Consistent with these recommendations, the Office of the Provost is adding a new Associate Dean for Faculty Development position to increase faculty support in these areas. This hiring process is nearly complete – with the pool narrowed to three final candidates who have already interviewed with the provost – and we expect to make an announcement in the next few weeks.

FACULTY COMPENSATION REVIEW: The task force’s extensive analysis found no gender gap in salary among men and women faculty hired in the past decade, but noted statistically significant salary differences between men and women faculty who started prior to 2012. These differences at Brown are in part attributable to the historic legacy of the time to promotion to full professor, as women rank at the associate professor level for two years longer than men, on average, mirroring the national average.

The review of compensation data did not consider several other factors that could contribute to differences in compensation, such as the faculty member’s home department. In the coming months, we will identify an external consultant, ideally a faculty expert from a peer institution, to further review faculty compensation. This additional analysis will inform next steps.

BENEFITS REVIEW: The task force noted that, aligned with national trends, childcare and family caregiving responsibilities were raised as a major challenge, disproportionately affecting women. In the coming year, the Human Resources Advisory Board – with the addition of members from the Faculty Executive Committee –  and the Committee on Faculty Equity and Diversity will review employee benefits in comparison to peers and make recommendations. In addition, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Sarah Latham and Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes will work with faculty and staff to develop plans to increase access to childcare for all faculty. More information on this initiative will be available later this semester.

IMPLEMENTATION TEAM: An implementation team consisting of faculty and administrators has been appointed to coordinate long-term actions on the broad range of intersecting recommendations outlined in this letter. Faculty on the implementation team will work closely with the Office of the Provost and academic units to make meaningful advancements in these areas. The Office of the Provost will provide periodic updates on the progress of this group.

Deputy Provost Janet Blume and Dean of the Faculty Leah VanWey are co-chairing the implementation team, and Chief of Staff to the President Marguerite Joutz is staffing the team.

Additional members of the implementation team are:

• Linda Abriola, Joan Wernig and E. Paul Sorensen Professor of Engineering
• Anna Aizer, Maurice R. Greenberg Professor of Economics
• Sylvia Carey-Butler, Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity
• Alison Field, Professor of Epidemiology, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, School of Public Health
• Eunsuk Kim, Professor of Chemistry
• Diane Lipscombe, Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Carney Institute for Brain Science, who served as chair of the Task Force
• Kevin Quashie, Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in English

Brown is committed to sustaining a diverse academic community and ensuring that all members are provided with equal opportunities and support to advance their careers and meet their full potential. This work is essential to advancing Brown’s mission of education and research.

We look forward to working with faculty and administrators to address these vitally important areas, ensuring that all faculty members have access to the same resources and opportunities for support and advancement, regardless of sex or gender.

Sincerely,
Christina H. Paxson
President

Francis J. Doyle, III
Provost