“All women in academia already are leaders and role-models”Thoughts from a Dean of Graduate Studies
Terri Camesano, Dean of Graduate Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, recounts her career trajectory and offers advice to young women interested in pursuing academic leadership.
By Terri A. Camesano with Patricia A. Maurice
12 December 2023, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10200156
Terri Camesano is Professor of Chemical Engineering and Dean of Graduate Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI; USA) [1]. She has been the recipient of numerous accolades including an NSF CAREER and a Fulbright International Education Administrators Award. In addition to her role as a senior leader in academia, she is the mother of three highly accomplished daughters and lives a balanced life as a competitive dancer (see photo below) [3]. Here, she provides some insight into her journey as an academic leader and provides down-to-earth advice.
Photo credit: Cindy Muller
How did you become an academic leader in STEMM?
My leadership journey had both intentional and organic components, and there was mentoring and support involved at every step of the way! I was fortunate that I always had very strong support from mentors in my academic career. Early on as an Assistant Professor, I recall being asked to stand for election to faculty governance committees or to serve on faculty search committees and departmental admissions/curriculum committees. At the time, I didn’t understand how these “service” roles were preparing me to take on progressively more responsibility. These roles also gave me a chance to see how I could make an impact on our students, my academic field, or the university. WPI was a smaller school when I started in 2000, and I always had wonderful Provosts and Associate Provosts who saw some potential in me and selected me for professional development opportunities. Once I started learning about leadership as a field, I became interested in formally studying how one leads. It was transformational when my university selected me for the HERS Institute for Higher Education Leadership Development [3] in 2011. I was a newly promoted Professor at that time, and despite being accomplished in my field and the PI on several large and interdisciplinary grants, I did not see myself as a “natural leader”. Participating in HERS was the first time I realized that I could learn about management and leadership, the same way I had learned about engineering as a student.
The mentoring and professional development that I was fortunate enough to receive paved the way for me to be ready for a higher-level leadership position. my career trajectory at that time was gravitating towards work with graduate students, PhD programs, and advocacy. When the position for Dean of Graduate Studies become open at WPI, it felt very natural for me to apply for that role, because so much of my time was already spent thinking about ways to create better opportunities and outcomes for our graduate students. Even though the role was half-time when I started in 2014, there was a growing recognition that graduate students would become more important to our university, and a full-time commitment would be needed to bring the focus to graduate student needs. I became the inaugural full-time Dean of Graduate Studies at WPI in 2015, a role I have held ever since.
What has been the most enjoyable and/or rewarding aspect of being a leader?
By and far, the best part of being an academic leader is being able to work with students and to follow their career progression and success. I cannot think of anything more rewarding than seeing someone develop from a beginning student or researcher to an articulate and accomplished scholar and leader. I have spent a lot of time during my time as Graduate Dean to try and make things smoother for the graduate students. It is fulfilling to make improvements in the communications that we send out to prospective and admitted students, advocate for benefits for students, and lead our Student Success Managers, that help students navigate complex university systems. Students know that they can count on me and my team to help with difficult challenges, and we will do our absolute best to help them stay in school and be successful. When I see our graduates take on leadership roles in industry, government, and academic positions, this makes everything worthwhile. I love staying in touch with our graduates and hearing about their personal and professional successes.
What has been the most difficult/least enjoyable aspect?
Being a leader during the pandemic was really difficult. I think many of us felt a bit helpless as we were unable to meet our students in person and the uncertainty and anxiety of the pandemic created enormous feelings of stress and isolation. As someone who considers it her role to “fix things”, I was extremely frustrated at my inability to provide the education and community that I would have wanted to provide. On the other hand, I think we all came out of the pandemic more empathetic and willing to be more flexible and understanding, with ourselves and others. So, while there will always be new challenges, it’s important to try to learn from those experiences.
What advice would you give to other women (or to your younger self) considering a position in academic leadership?
Looking back on my 23 year career in higher education, I can clearly see that all women in academia already are leaders and role-models, even if they may not see themselves in that way. My suggestion is to try and frame everything you do as a learning opportunity, whether it is being Principal Investigator on a grant, building a new academic program, serving on an admissions committee, etc. And if you feel that you can make more of an impact by being in a formal leadership role, don’t be afraid to seek professional development and learn about becoming a leader. Most people (especially those in STEMM) did not study this in graduate school! As very practical advice, I would suggest reaching out to other leaders that you admire and ask them to tell you about their personal leadership journey. Most people love to be asked, and it’s inspiring to hear how many different pathways there are to leadership and making a difference in higher education.
What systemic changes do you think would be the most beneficial for more women to have successful academic careers in STEMM?
Higher education has made tremendous progress in recent years in recognizing that some categories of students are at a disadvantage due to the “Hidden Curriculum” that informs the norms and expectations that are implied but never communicated in college. In a similar fashion, there is a hidden curriculum that governs the behavior of a professor, a doctor, and engineer, etc. Women and other historically marginalized populations in STEMM often do not have the cultural capital or access to information that would allow them to successfully navigate this curriculum. Most universities have become conscious of the need to create equitable working environments and they recognize that principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are essential to the success of the organization, in addition to the individuals. More practically, we can push for transparency in communicating performance expectations, especially for tenure or other promotions in academia. Everyone should have a mentor or multiple mentors, at all points in their careers. Everyone can benefit from opportunities to network and form peer-support groups within a university.
Is there any other observations you would like to add?
WPI has had two extremely strong and accomplished women Presidents in the past 9 years, Laurie Leshin, followed by Grace Wang. A woman in the top leadership position at the university will often be more likely to hire women Vice Presidents, Deans, Department Heads, and to promote the success of women overall. This was transformative for my university, and I am sure there are other organizations that would benefit from engaging an outstanding women leader.
Questions for further thought:
· Have you attended a HERS institute program, and if so, what did it mean for your career?
· What activities do you pursue outside of academia, and how do they contribute to your success as an academic leader?
· How can we help all women academics in STEMM to appreciate that they are already leaders and role-models and to increase their self-worth accordingly?
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