History

The Commission was established in 1997 by then President Al Yates to assist the University in designing strategies and promoting activities that enhance gender equity and address women’s issues.  The Commission has worked closely with the Presidents of Colorado State University throughout the decades and was issued an updated charge in May 2014 by President Tony Frank.  This updated charge asks the Commission to identify areas of concern in gender equity and campus climate and provide specific recommendations to the President for areas that the University can improve.

Mission

To promote an environment at Colorado State University that fosters productive and supportive relationships and interactions among people.  Such an environment is one in which people of all genders are supported and recognized; where people of all gender identities and expressions feel safe; where all people are freed from limitations and restrictions of culturally defined sex roles; and in which all members of the campus community feel empowered and supported by the institution and University community in pursuing their professional and academic aspirations.

Vision

The Commission shares the University’s goal of making Colorado State University the best environment for women to work, in any capacity – and all women, born female or not, are included in this understanding.

Charge

The Commission is charged by the University President to identify gender equity concerns and other issues impacting the campus climate for women and forward concerns and other issues impacting the campus climate for women and forward concerns, recommendations, and program ideas to the University administration through annual meetings with the President and consistent connection and routine communication with the Vice President for Diversity.

The President will receive regular communication from the commission and will meet annually with the Commission to formally receive its recommendations and reports.

The Commission will continue to monitor the climate for women at the University and alert the President and Provost of areas of concern.

With the agreement of the President, the Commission may call on various units of the University administration for assistance in acquiring information, collecting data, and obtaining a full understanding of issues that impact the Commission’s work.

The University will provide the Commission the opportunity to provide input and be critical of University-wide analyses, including the chance to weigh in on survey design and statistical analysis of survey data.

The Commission’s work will encompass the interests and concerns of all women within the University community: academic faculty, administrative professionals, state classified personnel, and students, with leadership of the Commission provided by the academic faculty.

The Commission will assist the University in designing strategies to implement the Commission’s recommendations.  The Commission may also identify and recommend to the president for inclusion its own initiatives and activities that enhance gender equity and address issues of concern.

The Commission will collaborate with other university entities including the Women and Gender Collaborative on common goals addressing women’s and gender-equity issues.

The Commission’s work will be transparent and available to the University community.

Commission Membership

Commission membership is made up of 14 appointed members, including five academic faculty members, the chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women Faculty, three state classified staff members, three administrative professional members, one undergraduate student and one graduate student.

Commission members are appointed for three-year terms, renewable up to two times.

The chair of the CWGE is a member of the academic faculty or senior level administrative professional or state classified staff and is appointed by the University President for a three-year term, with the option of up to two consecutive additional two-year terms.

A vice chair may be appointed to serve alongside the chair during the chair’s final year on the Commission.  Upon the chair leaving the Commission, the vice chair will be appointed chair by the University President and is eligible to serve the full-length three-year term with the option of up to two consecutive additional two-year terms.

The Vice President for Diversity, the head of the Women and Gender Advocacy Center, the head of the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research, the head of the Office of Equal Opportunity, and one assistant director from Human Resource Services (at the approval of the Chief Human Resource Officer) serve as ex officio members of the CWGE.

New and replacement members will be nominated and voted on by members of the Commission, with input from the Provost and Vice President for University Operations, and submitted for final approval and appointment by the President.

Standing Committee on the Status of Women Faculty

A special Standing Committee on the Status of Women Faculty will be appointed and function as a subcommittee of the Commission.  This committee will focus explicitly on issues impacting the work life, campus climate, and persistent barriers inhibiting the success of women faculty at Colorado State University.  The Standing Committee will pay special attention to the national climate for academic women, and will offer recommendations for ways CSU might help to counter pervasive national challenges related to women in academia, including all disciplines where women are historically and currently underrepresented and the underrepresentation of women in senior academic and leadership positions.

Standing Committee Membership

The Standing Committee shall consist of 18 members, including a chair, one representative from each academic college and the Libraries, one non-tenure track faculty, and seven at-large seats.

The expectation is that at least on representative from each college will be a woman.

The expectation is that at least two committee members will be men.

At least two committee members will be representatives of the senior faculty; at least two will be representatives of the junior faculty.

Members of this Standing Committee are invited to serve by the University President and the Chair of the President’s Commission on Women and Gender Equity.  Work on this committee will be recognized as a substantial service commitment to the faculty members’ annual reviews.

The Chair of the Standing Committee will be selected by the President from a list of three names submitted by the CWGE Chair.

The Standing Committee will report to the CWGE, and the Chair of the Standing Committee will serve as a voting member of the CWGE.