Ramp-UP! held its first Faculty Women Retreat at Wiawaka on Lake George on September 29 and 30. More than 30 female faculty members from Rensselaer collaborated in this great historic camp environment where so many women have ventured for camaraderie and relaxation since its founding in 1903. The Ramp-UP! initiative at Rensselaer has embraced a challenge to “transform” the work-life practices and policies that impede faculty women from gaining full participation and recognition at the Institute.
Led by Professors Cheryl Geisler and Debbie Kaminski, the agenda for the retreat was packed with collaboration, discussion, and role-plays that mirrored the many stages of career development faced by women in science and engineering. Workshops on negotiation, social networking, mid-career advancement, and positioning for tenure filled much of the first day’s agenda.
With very mild fall weather, many faculty took advantage of the natural splendor for a quick paddle boat ride, yoga, or a hike up to the base of French’s mountain to work up an appetite for a leisurely dinner at the Victorian era home, Fuller House.
The knowledge of our host, Sue McLane, Wawaka’s historian, and the skills of Chef Hallie Haddenfield, made the venture both informative and delicious. Each menu was made with a bounty of freshly harvested vegetables simmered to perfection.
For many, the aroma of home-cooked food complemented the hubbub of lively conversation and learning that permeated the faculty’s high spirits during our weekend. Professors Mark Holmes and Keith Nelson, the Faculty Coaches for the School of Science and the School of Engineering joined the retreat for the closing activities—a series of four skits the faculty wrote and produced in this short interlude. Wit and perspective saturated each of the presentations, and both junior and senior members of the faculty shared the challenges of negotiating many work-life and professional responsibilities.
Associate Professor June Deery of the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication quipped that the mallets and balls sitting about for a leisurely game of croquet sparked her imagination in developing an idea in her skit, while Department of the Arts Chair and Associate Professor Kathy High put volleyballs into play to underscore key points about productivity in scholarship and output.
Each of the faculty engaged in an opportunity to meet fellow colleagues throughout all the schools. By Sunday at lunch, the formality of name tags was replaced by first name greetings in the hope that they could find other ways to bring the faculty together again.
Ramp-UP! Administrator Elizabeth Carrature recognized the women faculty for their help in advancing the project’s goals, the gift of their time and participation, and their keen ability to hone in on the issues of advancement for women. Ramp-UP! plans to offer other opportunities to build career and networking strategies to support career advancement throughout the year. This year, it is concentrating on cultural change initiatives within departments and is looking forward to announcing incentive awards for departmental proposals on October 15.
