Communications of the ACM
Women in It
Credit: Campus Technology
Men are still dominant when it comes to top information technology (IT) positions in higher education, and the challenges women face in the field are numerous. Dominican University CIO Jill Albin-Hill says that female representation in IT has been small from the outset, and a very tough, competitive atmosphere pervades the IT environment.
"On a couple of occasions, I have been challenged to prove my technical chops by people who don't understand that being able to ask the right questions is more important in the continually changing world of IT than being the source of the answers," says Occidental College CIO Pam McQuesten.
Pepperdine University assistant CIO Dana Hoover says women in IT have done themselves a disservice by not pushing for or accepting recognition of their contributions. Albin-Hill points to the primarily programming-oriented curriculum as a barrier to the progress of women in higher education IT. She also predicts that many future IT jobs will require exceptional proficiency in project management and socialization, while Hoover cites the need for women to move into senior IT positions so they can serve as role models and mentors to other women.
From Campus Technology
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Abstracts Copyright © 2011 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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