The Institute for Women's Leadership (IWL) at Rutgers University is a consortium of nine units based at the Rutgers-New Brunswick campus and dedicated to the study of women and gender, to advocacy on behalf of gender equity, and to the promotion of women’s leadership locally, nationally, and globally. Established in 1991 by former Dean of Douglass Residential College, Mary S. Hartman, the current Interim Director is Lisa Hetfield.
The IWL leads activities in three broad areas: model leadership programs for women in the public and private sectors; interdisciplinary research on women’s leadership; and collaborative programs that utilize the expertise of unit members for the benefit of the consortium.
Research and Publications
The Institute for Women’s Leadership conducts research on women’s leadership and women’s lives. The IWL disseminates their findings through books, reports, transcripts and documentaries about women leaders, as well as fact sheets and data on the status of women in New Jersey, the nation, and the world. The goal is to encourage the interdisciplinary examination of leadership in different contexts of science, technology, politics and public policy, the arts, business, law, the humanities, higher education, and the global arena, considering perspectives of gender, race, ethnicity, and age in exercising leadership.
Notable publications include:
Junctures in Women’s Leadership: Social Movements edited by Mary K. Trigg and Alison R. Bernstein (Volume 1) and by Lisa Hetfield and Dana M. Britton (Volume 2)
Doing Diversity in Higher Education: Faculty Leaders Share Challenges and Strategies edited by Winnifred R. Brown-Galude
Leading the Way: Young Women’s Activism for Social Change edited by Mary K. Trigg, with preface by Mary Hartman
Talking Leadership: Conversations with Powerful Women edited by Mary Hartman
National Dialogue on Educating Women Leaders
All publications can be found on the Rutgers Press website.
In addition, the Institute for Women’s Leadership seeks to contribute to the advancement of women’s leadership studies, women’s education, and higher education by publishing collected essays and case studies on the work of the Institute for Women’s Leadership and by sponsoring research and forums on leadership issues. The National Dialogue on Educating Women for Leadership is a national, continuing conversation among educators, scholars and experts that explores a range of women's leadership issues, programs and research.
Launching the Institute for Women’s Leadership Consortium In the late 1980’s Mary S. Hartman, then Dean of Douglass, began to meet informally with the directors of the women’s programs and centers located on the Douglass campus. These gatherings became a forum for working collaboratively to develop and strengthen women’s education at Rutgers and to consider the critical underrepresentation of women in leadership in all arenas at the local, national and international levels. In 1991, under Mary Hartman’s leadership, the directors formed a consortium to address this underrepresentation. Declaring the mission of the Institute as “dedicated to examining issues of leadership and advancing women’s leadership in education, research, politics, the workplace, and the world,” the founding directors established the Institute as a collaborative enterprise, the nation’s first consortium dedicated to women’s lives and leadership.
The founding directors of the new Institute for Women’s Leadership were:
Mary S. Hartman, Dean of Douglass College
Alice Kessler-Harris, Director, Women’s Studies Program;
Charlotte Bunch, Director, Center for Women’s Global Leadership;
Carol Smith, Director, Institute for Research on Women; and
Ruth B. Mandel, Director, Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics.
Shortly after its founding, the Institute added the new Center for Women and Work, directed by Dorothy Sue Cobble at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (1993). In 2007, the Institute for Women and Art joined the consortium, Judith Brodsky and Ferris Olin, Co-directors, and in 2008, the Office for the Promotion of Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics, under the direction of Vice President Joan Bennett, became the eighth member unit of the Institute for Women’s Leadership.
Chronology of Progress for the Consortium
1991-1995
Following several years of planning, the Institute for Women’s Leadership (IWL) is formed as a consortium at Douglass College. Participating members include: Douglass College, Women’s Studies Program, Center for American Women and Politics, Institute for Research on Women, Center for Women’s Global Leadership, and later, Center for Women and Work, and School of Management and Labor Relations.
NJ WomenCount is established to collect, analyze and publish data on the status of women in New Jersey.
Women’s Scholarship and Leadership is designated as a university growth area; and a university-wide committee is formed to identify priorities for internal funding.
1996-2000
Mary S. Hartman, former dean of Douglass College, becomes full-time director of the Institute.
IWL/IRW Interdisciplinary Research Seminar for Faculty and Graduate Students established through a seed grant from university funding, followed by grants to IWL from the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Ruth Dill Johnson Crockett Building at 162 Ryders Lane, New Brunswick, is dedicated, becoming location for IWL, Women’s Studies Program, and Center for Women and Work.
The Leadership Scholars Program is initiated through the Women’s Studies Program to provide undergraduates a two-year interdisciplinary experience to combine classwork, internships and social action projects in learning about leadership. Dr. Mary K. Trigg is hired to direct the program.
IWL receives its first grant from the Ford Foundation to establish the faculty and staff interdisciplinary seminar at the Institute for Research on Women.
Wittenborn Scholars Residence is dedicated, providing convenient housing for visiting scholars associated with the IWL and member units.
The IWL and the Center for Women and Work collaborate to co-sponsor the Senior Leadership Program for Professional Women (SLP) to serve 24 corporate and professional women annually. SLP becomes the Executive Leadership Program which runs annually through 2015.
Leadership Scholars Program gains approval as a university certificate program. The IWL receives a $200,000 endowment gift for Scholars Program.
2001-2005
Division on Women, NJ Department of Community Affairs and the IWL form a research partnership to renew NJ WomenCount.
The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies is established and new PhD is approved.
The IWL receives a $500,000 endowment grant from the Ford Foundation to establish the Visiting Global Associates Program to link international work at the Global Center with IWL curricular and leadership development programs.
The IWL collaborates with Center for Women and Work to launch WINGS, a college-to-career mentoring program to link undergraduate students with senior business women. Deloitte & Touche becomes the first corporate partner in this program.
Ford Foundation approves a two-year research grant to fund “Re-affirming Action: Designs for Diversity in Higher Education.”
The Division on Women, NJ Department of Community Affairs, grants $140,000 to the IWL to continue NJ WomenCount. When funding is completed in 2007, the IWL continues the project as Women’s Leadership Fact Sheets.
The IWL receives a $1,000,000 endowment gift from Gretchen and James L. Johnson for core support. The IWL launches the annual Susan and Michael J. Angelides Endowed Lecture Series.
2006-2010
The IWL pilots the High School Leadership Program at Snyder High School, Jersey City, as a component of the IWL Leadership Scholars Certificate Program.
The IWL launches Community, Leadership, Action & Service Project (CLASP) – to provide summer placements for Rutgers undergraduates to learn about the needs of underserved populations in New Jersey. Funding provided by the J. Seward Johnson Sr. 1963 Charitable Trust.
The Institute for Women and Art (IWA) joins the IWL consortium becoming the seventh member unit. In 2016 the IWA is renamed the Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities.
Rutgers re-affirms the importance of women’s education, establishing Douglass Residential College as the first residential college within its re-organized undergraduate structure in New Brunswick.
The Office for the Advancement of Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics joins the IWL consortium as the eighth member unit.
The IWL Leadership Scholars Certificate Program is named the 2009 recipient of the Wynona M. Lipman Award for Empowerment by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division on Women, and the Commission on the Status of Women.
Transforming Lives Documentary Film Project launched in partnership with Rutgers Writers House to provide IWL Leadership Scholars opportunities to interview women leaders and produce short documentary films based on the interview for web distribution.
2011-present
Alison R. Bernstein is appointed the IWL Director following Mary S. Hartman’s retirement. Bernstein begins her five-year tenure July 1, 2011, identifying three new areas of focus: Women & Health, Women, Media, & Tech, and Women & Philanthropy. She also initiates the “Dialogues with the Director Series”, which examines emerging trends for women in leadership, explores issues of social justice, and initiates new areas of interest for the IWL consortium.
The IWL and the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) pilot GROW (Girls Realizing Opportunities in the World), a program to provide adolescent girls in foster care, relative care and adoptive families with resources needed to overcome adversity and succeed in life through group psychotherapy and mentoring relationships with Rutgers IWL students. Funding provided by the Cape Branch Foundation.
The IWL endowment total funds raised passes the $3,000,000 mark.
IWL initiates a collaborative project with Barnard and Spelman Colleges to develop feminist leadership studies curriculum guidelines.
The Center on Violence Against Women and Children, School of Social Work, joins the IWL consortium, making the ninth participating member.
In 2012, the IWL completes the “Blue Skies” Strategic Planning Process to identify goals and strategic directions for the next six years.
Dr. Francis Barchi becomes the first IWL Senior Fellow for Women and Health. She is followed in that role by Dr. Denise V. Rodgers, Vice Chancellor at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.
In February, 2013 IWL signs a contract with Rutgers University Press for a series of eight books of case studies in Women’s Leadership under the title Junctures in Women’s Leadership.
The IWL establishes a partnership with the African Gender Institute, Cape Town University, South Africa, and Barnard College, to conduct summer study abroad opportunities for undergraduate students. Courses ran in summer 2013 and 2015.
In October 2014, in collaboration with the Rutgers School of Communication and Information and the School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Women's and Gender Studies, the IWL launches the campaign to create The Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture, and Feminist Studies and the Gloria Steinem program fund. The Gloria Steinem Chair Steering Committee, co-chaired by Geraldine Laybourne and Subha Barry is formed to lead the fundraising effort.
In 2015, the Gloria Steinem Media Mentoring Program is piloted, focusing on pairing recent graduates with successful people in their field. Initial funding is provided by the Revson Foundation.
In March, 2015, IWL and Women’s and Gender Studies host a conference for Big10/CIC colleagues: "Collaborating for Success: Sharing Ideas, Developing Initiatives, and Overcoming Challenges."
As of March, 2016, Susan and Michael J. Angelides Lecturers include: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson; Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis; feminist icon Gloria Steinem; filmmaker Ava DuVernay; and playwright, activist, and author Eve Ensler.
In May, 2016 the IWL launches the Junctures in Women’s Leadership Series. The first two books include Junctures in Women’s Leadership: Social Movements edited by Mary K. Trigg and Alison R. Bernstein, and Junctures in Women’s Leadership: Business, edited by Lisa Hetfield and Dana M. Britton.
Alison R. Bernstein, Director of the Institute for Women’s Leadership passes away on June 30, 2016.
As of July 1, 2016, Lisa Hetfield is appointed the Interim Director of the IWL.
In July, 2016 the Gloria Steinem Media Mentoring Program is renamed the Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program.
In September 2016, the WINGS Mentoring Program gains approval as a one credit academic experience.
The documentary film, “From the Boarding House to the Board Room: 250 Years of Women at Rutgers” produced by award-winning filmmaker June Cross, premieres on campus in honor of IWL’s 25th anniversary. The collaborative project is initiated with seed funding from the newly established Mary S.Hartman, Edwin M. Hartman, and Samuel M. Hartman Founder’s Fund for the IWL.
Junctures in Women’s Leadership: Social Movements is selected for Choice Magazine’s Annual Outstanding Academic Title list for 2017. Outstanding works are selected “for their excellence in scholarship and presentation, the significance of their contribution to the field, and their value as important—often the first—treatment of their subject.”
