Women and leadership, money management, building credibility, networking and creative decision making are some of the topics to be explored during the "Women Leaders: A Symposium for Women in University Settings" on Thursday, March 12, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at UC Berkeley's Clark Kerr Campus.

"Women Leaders: A Symposium for Women in University Settings," is designed to give women, especially those at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco, an opportunity to come together to discuss and critically examine where women are today in gaining access to positions of leadership in higher education. Although the conference is open to everyone, including men, it intends to provide women employed at UCSF and UCB with useful information that is relevant to their work environment.

"While women have clearly made great strides in reaching higher management levels in university settings, much work still needs to be done," says Amy Levine, co-coordinator of the symposium and director of the UCSF Women's Resource Center. "The conference will address this and other related issues in dealing with women in leadership."

She says that at many universities women are often aggregated in the lower echelons of employment classifications, such as clerical positions, and one of the approaches to alleviating this inequity is self-education.

"One of the main goals of this conference is to encourage leadership opportunities for all women by focusing on women in management positions," says Levine. "While the instructional workshops will target women managers, we also hope to discuss upward mobility for women who are stuck in low-paying and low-level positions."

Some of the topics to be covered in the instructional workshops are negotiating strategies; techniques for striving in a resistant environment; building diversity as a leader; and specific problems women of color face as leaders.

"It is not enough to hire and promote women because many women leaders are still excluded from management discussions," says Kathleen Brown, co-coordinator of the symposium. "Women's voices need to be heard in the decision-making processes which shape the future of universities."

She adds that women in leadership positions also need to remember where they came from and to support other women who are making the professional climb.

"It is very important for women leaders to mentor other women who are struggling behind them and we hope to encourage this at the conference," says Brown, who is a UCSF organizational development specialist in the Human Resource Development and Training Division. One of the workshops, titled "Breaking the Glass: Ceiling Cracked or Shattered?" will discuss the importance of "fem"-mentoring and how to navigate through the politics of a career while working towards your goals and objectives.

The Women's Leadership Symposium is presented by UCSF Stanford Health Care, UCSF, UCB and many campus leaders. It was developed under the auspices of the UCSF Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (CACSW) in collaboration with the UCSF Women's Resource Center, a facility open to the public that offers a wide range of services such as women's support groups, lectures, rape prevention programs and self-defense classes.

In addition to the 12 diverse workshop leaders presenting at the conference, there are three keynote speakers including Elders; Shirley S. Chater, RN, PhD, former US Commissioner of the Social Security Administration; and Judith B. Rosener, PhD, UC Irvine professor of business and management.

Total cost of the all-day event is $75 for early registration (extended to Feb. 13) and $100 for late registration (Feb. 14-Mar. 2), including breakfast, lunch, tea and a conference packet. Merchandise from local bookstores will be sold at the symposium. Early registration is encouraged because space is limited. To register or for more information, please call Jean Chen of the UCSF Women's Resource Center at 415/476-5836.

PRESENTATION SCHEDULE FOR WOMEN LEADERS SYMPOSIUM:

MARCH 12, 1998

Morning Workshops:

• "Building Diversity as a Leader"
• "The Road to Success"
• "Negotiating For Your Life: Strategies and Tools To Get What You Want Without Selling Out."
• "Building Credibility: Transitions Over Time"
• "Leadership, Influence, and Personal High Level Well Being: Can You Keep It All Together?"
• "How to Use Your Intuition and Creativity When Making Difficult Decisions."

Afternoon Workshops:

• "The Quiet Revolution: Mobilizing Women to Effect Change Through Money and Investments."
• "Getting In and Staying In: Women as Leaders at UC."
• "It's Who You Know and What You Know: Networking Your Way Into the Political Process."
• "Breaking the Glass: Ceiling Cracked or Shattered?"
• "Wonder in the Workplace."
• "Lifting As We Climb: Leadership and Women of Color."

By Abby Sinnott

1st appeared 2/10/98

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