There are complex social and economic barriers to women’s advancement in leadership. Add to that, gender stereotypes and diverse social norms of the many cultures spanning the Pacific Rim, and we see wide implementation gaps in gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives. In academia, the glass ceiling and the gender pay gap continue to block the advancement and participation of women in leadership. The 2019 Gender Gap report by APRU – which surveyed 40 leading universities in the region – found that women in Pacific Rim universities have made little progress in moving into university leadership positions over the past five years, despite a raft of initiatives at the university level. As leaders, the universities of APRU are committed to leading by example, addressing gender imbalances on their own turf through various initiatives. The Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Program (APWiL) aims to drive change in gender equity while considering the various contexts in which this pursuit takes place across APRU member universities. Case studies presented by APRU member universities have shown the great work that is taking place to address challenges in gender equality. At the same time, we are hearing of a growing global backlash that investment in women’s education does not result in the increased contribution by women to the workforce.   

This seminar of the APWiL Mentoring Program will explore communication and negotiation skills with speakers from across the Pacific Rim.

To celebrate the International Women’s Day and promote a world that values differences, we offer a workshop on intersectionality. 

This seminar will take an evidence-based approach to provide mentors and mentees with the tools needed to identify imposter syndrome and will provide practical examples relevant to women in positions of leadership or women aspiring to positions of leadership in higher education.

Join the Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Mentoring Program as we mark the conclusion of the program’s 2nd cohort.

This seminar will take an evidence-based approach to provide mentors and mentees with the tools needed to identify imposter syndrome and will provide practical examples relevant to women in positions of leadership or women aspiring to positions of leadership in higher education.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, this workshop of the APWiL Mentoring Program will explore how to affect change as a woman leader.

The APWiL Mentoring Program  aims to drive change in gender equality while taking into account the various contexts in which this pursuit for gender equity takes place across APRU member universities.

This year, in honor of International Women’s Day, APRU’s Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Program (APWiL) hosted a webinar featuring four distinguished women academic leaders. The event brought together women who have navigated the complexities of balancing professional ambitions with personal responsibilities. Their stories and insights highlighted some of the challenges faced by women today, as well as some strategies that have helped them maintain their well-being and self-fulfilment. In today’s fast-paced world, women often find themselves dealing with multiple roles: they are academics, professionals, mothers, daughters, wives, partners, and leaders; all while trying to nurture their own personal and career growth. Moderated by Professor Yvonne Ai Lian Lim, Co-Chair of APWiL, the webinar featured Dr. Gabriela Baron from the University of Auckland; Dr. Iderlina Mateo-Babiano from University of Melbourne; Dr. Marian Mahat from University of Melbourne; and Professor Vania Ramírez Camacho from Tecnológico de Monterrey (check their bios here). Each of these women comes from a unique context and has her own story of growth and strength during moments of change and overcoming obstacles. During the webinar, the conversation focused on the most relevant challenges of balancing work life, personal life, and well-being, particularly for women in academia and leadership positions. One of the main topics was the importance of establishing and respecting personal boundaries in professional and personal spheres. As the speakers noted, the pressure to excel in every aspect of life can be quite overwhelming and it’s crucial to recognize when to say ‘no’ and focus on self-care and mental health. The academic leaders noted that engaging in hobbies, spending time with their families, and resting is essential for sustaining energy and focus. Dr. Iderlina Mateo-Babiano emphasized that self-compassion is key to well-being, especially when juggling the many demands of career and family life. She talked about embracing vulnerability in her journey, finding strength in her faith and family, especially after experiencing a career setback. This vulnerability, she explained, was not a weakness but a source of growth, helping her move forward with renewed purpose and clarity. Likewise, Dr. Marian Mahat also reflected on her journey toward balance. She recounted the constant exhaustion of chasing perfection in both her personal and professional life. Over time, she realized that striving for perfection often led to missed opportunities and a sensation of burnout. Instead of endlessly pursuing an unattainable target, she shifted her focus to valuing progress over perfection. This is how, by learning to let go of unrealistic expectations, she found a more sustainable way to achieve her objectives. “Sometimes, striving for perfection means missing the moment altogether.” Dr. Marian Mahat. On the other hand, Dr. Gabriela Baron’s story revolved around her transformative experience of leaving a toxic work environment back in her home country. Her decision to step away from an unhealthy situation proved to be a catalyst for growth. She emphasized that success doesn’t have to adhere to traditional structures or expectations. Leaving her previous workplace allowed her to reevaluate not only her expectations of a healthy academic environment but also her values and redefine what success meant on her own terms.  Similarly, Professor Vania Ramírez Camacho spoke about the evolution of her professional priorities, and she highlighted how, over time, her vision has shifted in response to the different stages of life and the demands of her professional and personal responsibilities. She pointed out the need to balance the early-career ambitions and energy with the duties and responsibilities that come with midlife as time goes on. Her advice is clear: you have to choose your battles wisely and prioritize what matters the most to you. The ability to understand when to step back, when to fight, and when to let go is essential to maintaining balance. “You have to learn to choose your battles in all spheres, in the professional one and the personal one.” Prof. Vania Ramírez Camacho In addition to personal strategies, the speakers also discussed the importance of institutional support, such as flexible working arrangements and policies that prioritize well-being were pointed out as crucial in helping women balance their responsibilities and spending more valuable time with their families. Informal support networks, especially among women colleagues, were also seen as vital in fostering resilience. These relationships provide emotional support, shared experiences, and a sense of community that can make a significant difference in managing the pressures of academia and leadership. Ultimately, the stories shared by the speakers highlighted a general truth: life is constantly evolving and changing. Balance is not a static state, but a continuous process of adjustment and adaptation. By embracing these changes, choosing battles wisely, and focusing on the things that truly matter, women can find fulfilment in both their personal and professional lives. You can watch the full webinar at APWiL’s YouTube playlist here. About APWiL and the APWiL Mentoring Program As leaders, the universities of APRU are committed to leading by example, addressing gender imbalances on their own turf through various initiatives. The Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Program (APWiL) aims to drive change in gender equality while taking into account the various contexts in which this pursuit for gender equity takes place across APRU member universities. The APWiL Mentoring Program is a year-long commitment matching a mentor and mentee from one of the participating APRU member universities to provide international and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment of aspiring women leaders within APRU. Learn more about APWiL and it’s mentoring program here.

Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) has entered the fifth year of the APWiL Mentoring Program with the 5th cohort kicking off this past September with the announcement of the mentoring pairs and virtual orientation program. “As we mark this significant occasion of the 5th cohort of the APWiL Mentoring Program, we celebrate the leaders who are embarking on this journey of professional growth and those who have already completed the program-to-date and join our expanding network of individuals committed to gender equality across the Pacific Rim and world,” says Professor Dawn Freshwater, Vice-Chancellor at University of Auckland and APWIL Presidential Champion. The 5th cohort includes 76 participants from 21 APRU member universities, representing one third of the APRU membership, and all regions of the Pacific Rim. Since its inception, 33 universities have participated in the APWiL Mentoring Program. With the addition of this cohort, the APWiL Mentoring Program community grows to over 350 participants and alumni in five years. “It speaks volumes that so many members of the APRU network are committed to the program and therefore to the advancement and empowerment of women. As an alumna of the program, I know first-hand the impact that this program can have on both mentors and mentees, and we are thrilled to be able to offer it for the fifth time,” APWiL Co-Chair, Professor Yvonne Lim, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic & International) at Universiti Malaya. The APWiL Mentoring Program is a year-long commitment matching a mentor and mentee from one of the participating APRU member universities to provide mentoring, and international and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment of aspiring women leaders within APRU. During the 5th cohort, mentors and mentees will meet for individual mentoring to identify goals they will work towards over the course of the year. In addition, they will join workshops and networking opportunities that are open to the entire APWiL community. This year’s workshops are connected to themes that were identified by participants during the orientation program in September. They include a panel workshop on effective communication skills for leadership, an International Women’s Day workshop focused on strategies for balancing career and personal responsibilities, a panel on leveraging teaching, research, and administration for career growth, and virtual networking sessions. Each workshop will feature panels of mentors from the 5th cohort who have volunteered to share their experiences and expertise to a wider audience. “We feel the excitement and energy from the participants during each of our events and we’re eager to see where that momentum leads within their mentoring relationships. We are especially grateful for the many mentors who have volunteered to serve as a panelist in addition to the commitment they have made to mentoring one of the mentees. And, to the mentees who continue to share their journeys at our virtual events so that we may all benefit from the successes and learn from the challenges of one another.” APWiL Co-Chair, Professor Joanna Regulska, Vice Provost and Dean of Global Affairs at UC Davis. APWiL and everyone at APRU welcome all new participants of the mentoring program and wish them success in the year ahead! “As we mark this momentous occasion of the 5th cohort of the APWiL Mentoring Program, we celebrate the leaders who are embarking on this journey of professional growth and those who have already completed the program-to-date and join our expanding network of individuals committed to gender equality across the Pacific Rim and world.” APWiL Mentoring Program 5th Cohort Participants Mentors Gabriela BARON, The University of Auckland​* Eleanor BECK, UNSW Sydney​* Mely CABALLERO-ANTHONY, Nanyang Technological University​ Clementina CERIA-ULEP, University of Hawai’i at Manoa​ Kapil CHOUSALKAR, The University of Adelaide​ Shona CRABB, The University of Adelaide​ Zhi DING, University of California, Davis​ Annabel DULHUNTY, The Australian National University​ Adriana GALVÁN, University of California, Los Angeles​ Patricia GERBER, The University of British Columbia​* Hong Ching GOH, Universiti Malaya​* Gloria GONZALEZ-RIVERA, University of California, Riverside​ Cynthia Grace GREGORIO, University of the Philippines​ Judith GULLIFER, Monash University​* Rebecca GUY, UNSW Sydney​ Jette HANSEN EDWARDS, The Chinese University of Hong Kong​* Tracy JOHNSON, University of California, Los Angeles​ Yusniza KAMARULZAMAN, Universiti Malaya​ Chikako KASHIWAZAKI, Keio University​ Quan LI, The Chinese University of Hong Kong​ Alison LLOYD, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology​ Marian MAHAT, The University of Melbourne​* Iderlina MATEO-BABIANO, The University of Melbourne​* Mi Yung PARK, The University of Auckland​ Theresa PAYONGAYONG, University of the Philippines​ Marko PRINCEVAC, University of California, Riverside​ Vania RAMÍREZ CAMACHO, Tecnológico de Monterrey​* Paola RICAURTE QUIJANO, Tecnológico de Monterrey​ Susan ROWLAND, The University of Sydney​* Seang Mei SAW, National University of Singapore​ Adeline SEOW, National University of Singapore​ Monica STITT-BERGH, University of Hawai’i at Manoa​ Hui SU, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology​ Kathy TEMIN, Monash University​ Silvia TOMÁŠKOVÁ, The University of British Columbia​* Hiroko TSUKAMURA, Nagoya University​ Juliana VIVAR VERA, Tecnológico de Monterrey​ Tim WHITE, Nanyang Technological University​ Serena YANG, University of California, Davis​*   *Indicates participants who have volunteered as panelists during one of the virtual workshops in the 5th cohort.   Mentees Janine BAIJNATH-RODINO, University of California, Los Angeles​ Yinan BAO, The University of Auckland​ Wen Fen BEH, Universiti Malaya​ Anna Maria BLOCKI, The Chinese University of Hong Kong​ Jialun CAO, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology​ Xinyu CAO, The Chinese University of Hong Kong​ Fei Wen CHEONG, Universiti Malaya​ Jennifer CHOI, University of California, Davis​ Yong Yee CHONG, Universiti Malaya​ Halle DIMSDALE-ZUCKER, University of California, Riverside​ Audrey FAN, University of California, Davis​ Yi FAN, National University of Singapore​ Diana GARCIA, Tecnológico de Monterrey​ Shelley GUYTON, National University of Singapore​ Andrea HAZZARD, University of Hawai’i at Manoa​ Cherish HOW, Universiti Malaya​ Misa KIM, Keio University​ Aya KIMURA, University of Hawai’i at Manoa​ Christina LEE LAI LING, Universiti Malaya​ Tong LI, The University of Sydney​ Ana MANTILLA, Monash University​ Jennifer MARGAIN SALVADOR, Tecnológico de Monterrey​ Tamar MENTZEL, University of California, Riverside​ Sepideh PAKPOUR, The University of British Columbia​ Charlene RONQUILLO, The University of British Columbia​ Elise STEPHENSON, The Australian National University​ Ela STUPARU, Nanyang Technological University​ Wei SU, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology​ Amanda TAYLOR, The University of Adelaide​ Michelle WANG, Nanyang Technological University​ Xuan WANG, University of California, Los Angeles​ Rachel WARD, UNSW Sydney​ Julie WILLEMS, Monash University​ Taylor WILLMOTT, The University of Adelaide​ Monika WINARNITA, The University of Melbourne​ Kemi WRIGHT, UNSW Sydney​ Yuexia ZHOU, Nagoya University​   More information about APWiL Mentoring Program.

The first-ever gathering of the Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Mentoring Program at the Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Summit 2024 took place in late-June at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, as a part of the 2024 APRU Annual Presidents’ Meeting. The event united four cohorts of the APWiL Mentoring Program to share their inspiring journeys and practical skills for advancing women’s leadership in higher education. The APWiL Mentoring Program provides international and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment, professional growth and development of aspiring women leaders within APRU. This program matches mentors and mentees in international mentorship pairs across leading research universities of the Asia-Pacific region.   Recommendations Rooted in Data Delivering opening remarks, Prof Joanna Regulska, APWiL Co-Chair and Vice Provost and Dean – Global Affairs, Distinguished Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, University of California, Davis, reminded the audience that the APWiL Mentoring Program was triggered by the 2019 APRU Gender Gap Report which measured progress of gender equity in APRU universities since the 2013 APRU Gender Gap Report initiated at a meeting held at Waseda University in 2013.  “A few years later, the idea emerged that we should actually do a second gender gap report, but unfortunately, the result of that second report was not so great, as female academics were still significantly underrepresented across all academic levels and in administration,” Regulska said. “I think it is time for all of us to do the third report, and maybe the news will be better.”     Exponential Impacts of the Mentoring Program Reflecting on the APRU network’s steadily strengthening commitment to succeed in narrowing the gender gap, Prof Yvonne Lim, APWiL Co-Chair and Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International), Professor of Parasitology, Universiti Malaya, pointed out that the APWiL Mentoring Program started off with mentee-mentor pairs from just 10 institutions, and has since grown to 31 institutions. “From my mentee, I learned to be more positive and open, and I learned to embrace things that I don’t know,” Lim said. “[My mentee] Jessica herself was indigenous, so I connected her to my indigenous colleagues at Universiti Malaya, and they then started a year-long webinar series across the world, which shows that this program not only impacts individuals, but also the institutions.”   Cultivating Women’s Leadership in New Zealand Prof Dawn Freshwater, Vice-Chancellor, Waipapa Taumata Rau – The University of Auckland, Vice-Chair of APRU, and APWiL Presidential Champion, confirmed the notion of Auckland being a perfect choice for the event, given that New Zealand has a proven track record of advancing women’s leadership. New Zealand was the first country in the world where women could vote, and two years ago, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Governor General, and Chief Justice were all women. Freshwater is the first woman to lead The University of Auckland as Vice-Chancellor. “So, I could stand here and tell you that there’s no problem in Aotearoa, New Zealand, with women in leadership positions, but that would be untrue,” Freshwater said. “A study released earlier this year by one of our own business school academics, Dr. Amanda Sterling, that digs deeper into what it’s like for women navigating leadership roles and motherhood in corporate New Zealand found that pregnant women and new mothers often encountered leadership norms that they weren’t able to fit into.” Ziena Jalil, Chief of Staff at Te Pūkenga, and a board member for the Asia New Zealand Foundation, Education New Zealand, Toka Tū Ake, Earthquake Commission and DNA, shared with the audience that she grew up in Fiji as a descendant of labourers who had been brought to Fiji under the British colonial rule to work on sugar cane plantations. Jalil came to New Zealand 25 years ago on a scholarship for university studies. “In New Zealand many in our Maori and Pacific communities are the first in their families to go to university, but there are a range of barriers, burdens and biases that they face,” Jalil said. “Universities can play a pivotal role in providing support services and networking opportunities to help all women thrive, and it is important that we expose our children and our teenagers to a range of career paths that aren’t limited by gender.”   Sharing Strategies for Gender Equity In a panel session themed “Creative ways that you’ve advocated for women at your institution,” Dr. Rachael Hains-Wesson, Academic Director Work-Integrated Learning Hub and Associate Professor in Work-Integrated Learning, The University of Sydney, explained that the university’s Honor and Ethics Code is one of the key policies it has implemented to support gender equity. The code serves as the basis for the university currently having almost 60% male and 30% female full-time professors, with 45% of its scientific production over the last five years having been contributed by women. “This reflects our dedication to creating an inclusive environment where all members of our community can thrive,” Hains-Wesson said. “By upholding these values and policies, we strive to ensure that everyone, regardless of gender, has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from the vibrant ecosystem of our universe.” In a keynote discussion themed “A conversation on driving change toward gender equity,” Prof. Cindy Fan, Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement, University of California, Los Angeles, stressed that even though the world is facing multiple increasingly serious challenges, such as climate change, natural disasters, global conflicts, and food shortages, it is still also imperative to make progress towards closing the gender gap. “It’s been 40 years that more women receive doctoral degrees in the US than men, and these are talents who contribute to society,” Fan said. “It would be actually a disservice to society if we do not prioritize lifting up women, because as we’re lifting up women, we’re also lifting up the entire society.” Roundtable discussions gave participants an opportunity to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and recommendations around five topics within gender equity in higher education. Topics included, work-life balance and avoiding burnout; balancing administrative and research duties; developing your leadership skills and style; establishing and prioritizing goals; and building a network and establishing collaborations for research. A presentation by Dr. Anders Karlsson, Vice President, Global Strategic Networks at Elsevier gave key insights from Elsevier’s latest report, “Progress Toward Gender Equality in Research Innovation” focusing on the progress of gender in research. The analysis reflected on Scopus data stretching back more than two decades to assess the representation of women in research and changes over time, in a global context and for 18 countries.   University Presidents Committed to Gender Equity Across the Pacific The Presidential Panel, for its part, served as a perfect platform for Prof. Rosa Devés, President, Universidad de Chile, to point out that the university has been a key player in promoting women’s participation and leadership, both in Chile and Latin America. The first woman to obtain a university degree both in Chile and Latin America graduated in 1886 from Universidad de Chile in medicine. “In the last decade we have created a gender equality office situated at the president’s level, the purpose being to promote anti-discrimination in the university and in places that guarantee equal rights and opportunities between men and women,” Devés said. “We have institutionalized the gender equality system, which is not only a benefit to women, but the institution as a whole.” “Prof Thomas Schneider, APRU’s Chief Executive, concluded the summit with a strong affirmation of its success. The event not only fulfilled its primary goal by generating a substantial amount of input for practical measures but also laid down a clear mandate. This mandate calls upon university presidents to take decisive and tangible actions towards addressing gender equity within their institutions. The insights gathered are set to guide forthcoming APRU steering committee meetings and the future strategy of APWiL, ensuring that the momentum for change is not only maintained but accelerated.” “Many new mentorship relationships have been created today, and I hope this also elevates up to the next level,” Schneider said.

The recent International Women’s Day served as a timely opportunity for Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Program (APWiL) participants, alumni and guests to gather and participate in the webinar “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges” organized by the Universiti Malaya. With the participation of Dato’ Professor Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman, President and Pro-Vice Chancellor, Monash University in Malaysia and former dean of Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Prof. Kyoko Ohara from the Faculty of Science and Technology at Keio University, and moderated by Prof. Stefanie Pillai from the Universiti Malaya, the theme highlighted the significance of gender equity and the diverse roles of women in society. It also emphasized the overcoming of prejudices and barriers that have impeded the advancement of women in higher education institutions in the Pacific Rim.     The conversation started by mentioning the many competing priorities that women juggle when advancing in leadership roles. Both speakers highlighted the importance of recognising that women of all epochs often are balancing working and family responsibilities at the same time. “When women are in a period of intense study and training, it may conflict with our plan to start a family, so it is a huge need to have policies and investments to provide early childcare as well as ageing care to support women who by and large are still expected to do both of this” mentioned Prof. Kamarulzaman. Prof. Ohara said it is an important topic not just for this time but for all generations, and that this emphasizes the importance of mentoring programs, where participants can listen and share in safe spaces. “We often feel alone, so mentoring is beneficial for both sides, not just learning from mentors but also from mentees”, added Prof. Stefanie Pillai, the programme’s moderator from Universiti Malaya. Once again, awareness and imposter syndrome came up in the conversation as a critical barrier to women’s career advancement. Prof. Kamarulzaman has observed that women are less likely to put themselves forward for promotions in leadership committees. “Often, we think we’re not good enough. I sometimes doubt whether to be in the highest committees, so I try to be part of the conversations and not just keep sitting back.” Prof. Yvonne Lim, APWiL co-chair and Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International), Universiti Malaya (UM), said “We have so many roles to play, which pushes us to become more collaborative”. Prof. Ohara shared her experiences creating a global leadership seminar and a global leadership exchange program. “Nobody taught us how to be leaders. In academia, at least in Japan, we were told to do an excellent job in research and education, but nobody has talked about women being leaders. That is why the importance of keeping closer, having conversations, and developing a human side with soft skills for the global leaders”. Prof. Kamarulzaman also commented on the importance of listening with an open mind, trusting and communicating with diplomacy as a critical factor to solve problems. Building bridges represents cooperation, cohesion, and interdependence. The theme also emphasised the significance of establishing partnerships in gender equity. The platform fostered a culture that supports lifelong learning and personal growth by promoting the sharing of experiences, perspectives, and knowledge among women leaders.     Prof. Lim concluded by reminding and encouraging the audience that, regarding the mistakes we may make, we must believe in ourselves, and if we are given a chance, we should grab it and go!   “A charming woman… doesn’t follow the crowd. She is herself.” Loretta Young   The event was organized by Universiti Malaya, led by Dr. Yong Adilah Binti Shamsul Harul, Dr. Charity Lee Chin Ai, Miss Nuzul Fatihin Izatil Binti Azman and APWiL. Click here to watch the full International Women’s Day 2024 APWiL webinar. The APWiL Mentoring Program is a year-long commitment that matches a mentor with a mentee from participating APRU member universities, to provide mentoring and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment of aspiring women leaders.

The Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) successfully held the APWiL Mentoring Program 4th Cohort Orientation and the first Informal Networking event on November 9 and December 7 respectively, circling in on the persistent topic of women equity in the universities, the importance of creating a safe place for everybody in academia, and the importance of work-life balance in women’s academic careers. The APWiL Mentoring Program is a year-long commitment that matches a mentor with a mentee from participating APRU member universities, to provide mentoring and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment of aspiring women leaders. With 44 mentoring pairs, the 4th Cohort is almost three times larger than the Pilot Cohort in 2020-21 and involves 27 institutions, three more institutions than the 3rd Cohort, reflecting on the increasing interest and need from academics and universities alike. “The steadily growing participation shows how much this program is being appreciated by our group members,” said APWiL Co-Chair, Professor Yvonne Lim, Universiti Malaya’s Associate Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement). “It is not just the women leaders and women colleagues who play their roles, so we are grateful also for having male colleagues supporting us in our journey in encouraging women to be aspiring leaders.” The 4th Cohort Informal Networking event proved to be a valuable platform for unstructured conversations among mentees and mentors as well as program alumni to discuss successes and challenges in working towards their goals and connecting with other leaders in the APRU network. The next event of the 4th Cohort is the International Women’s Day Event on March 8 next year, which will be led by Universiti Malaya APWiL Alumni. “You are encouraged to be open to share information, because the more you build trust the more effective these relationships are,” said APWiL Manager, Dawn Takaoglu, Director of International & Academic English, Global Affairs at UC Davis during the Orientation Day. And she continued “Getting to know your mentor as a person, and as a professional will be helpful in developing that level of trust that makes these relationships very successful”.

The APWiL Mentoring Program 3rd Cohort wrapped up on October 11 with a virtual graduation ceremony kick-started with a keynote speech by Prof. Dawn Freshwater, Vice-Chancellor, University of Auckland and APWiL Presidential Champion. The ceremony highlighted participants’ accomplishments and appreciation for a fruitful year of mentor-mentee exchanges. Involving 91 mentors and mentees from 24 APRU member universities, the 3rd Cohort’s footprint was larger than the previous cohort’s, reflecting APRU’s successful outreach within its large network.     The APRU APWiL Mentoring Program, which is co-chaired by Universiti Malaya and University of California, Davis, is a year-long commitment focused on fostering women’s leadership at APRU institutions by pairing mentors and mentees in one-on-one mentoring relationships. Empowerment is an urgent task, given the persistent complex social and economic barriers to women’s advancement in leadership in academia. “Participation in the APWIL program has been a rewarding experience, and I always look forward to catching up with my mentee and continuing our exchanges beyond this program,” said Juliana Ng, Director of Australian National University’s Research School of Accounting. The 3rd Cohort was enriched by a Tecnologico de Monterrey-led workshop on Imposter syndrome: Women, psychology, and society; a Keio University and The University of Melbourne-led workshop on Exploring Intersectionality on International Women’s Day; and a seminar on The Art of Effective Communication and Negotiation with speakers from APRU, The University of Auckland, Universiti Malaya, and University of California, Davis. Participants also engaged in multiple informal networking exchanges.     Te Kawehau Hoskins, the University of Auckland’s Pro-Vice Chancellor (Maori), emphasized that she thoroughly enjoyed her first mentoring experience. “We could call this relationship a “tuakana-teina”, one where teaching and learning occur in both directions,” Hoskins said. Akiyo Okuda, Keio University’s Vice President, was thrilled to learn that her mentee, Wai Yee Yeong, Associate Professor Nanyang Technological University, has become the chair of her department. “It was a true privilege to work together with Wai Yee in our careers,” Okuda said.  On the mentee side, Kaori Idemaru, Professor at the University of Oregon, revealed that participating in the APWiL Mentoring Program empowered her to work on developing leadership skills and raising her research prominence purposefully and proactively. “With my mentor’s guidance, I applied and secured university fellowships, accepted invitations for guest lectures, and submitted research grants,” Idemaru said. Carolina Senes, Chair of Tecnologico de Monterrey’s Regional Bioengineering Department (West area), said the 3rd Cohort will influence her well beyond the immediate future. “It steered me towards decisions that will leave a lasting imprint on my career trajectory,” Senes said.  We congratulate all the participants from the APWiL Mentoring Program 3rd Cohort, and we hope that the experiences, learnings, and relationships built throughout it will help them grow in their professional careers and achieve their goals. To learn more about the APWiL Mentoring Program visit its website here.

Original post from futurecampus.com.au   Profiling women in HE leadership is critical to empower successors.   For women in higher education leadership, landing your dream role is anything but straight forward. It is often not planned, even accidental and happenstance at times – but it doesn’t come without significant determination and sacrifice. Building the profile of women who have made the leap into the upper echelons of their university and telling the story of how they got there is critical if we are to continue to progress in nurturing the careers of women who will lead the sector in the future. That women are taking on leadership roles in higher education in the USA and Australia is not new. The amount of women leading the charge in the USA’s top research universities has increased by 32 percent in less than two years. However, what women seem to have in common when speaking to their leadership journeys is the idea that it began as a pipe dream, something only others attained. This was affirmed in a series of interviews we recently conducted with 20 women in leadership roles at a research-intensive university in the USA. They came from diverse backgrounds, discipline interests and occupied different leadership roles from Director to Vice President. We asked about their career trajectory journeys, future aspirations, and the key skills they believe women (and men) should cultivate as they develop their individual leadership careers.   Narrative and counter-narrative Many women shared that they obtained their leadership roles through sheer determination, belief in the self, acquiring great mentors, and self-growth through the countless obstacles and challenges that occurred along the way. The counter-narratives women leaders shared about their professional journeys illustrate a hard truth: juggling professional and personal lives has not gotten easier. No two women’s leadership stories were the same. What is common is that they have missed vacations and family time to land their role. This has taken personal determination, bringing the authentic self to the table, and managing imposter syndrome when it raises its ugly head. Anecdotally, these issues appear to be more prevalent for women in leadership roles in higher education than for men.   Leadership journey The interviewees were positive about women in leadership, providing stories to be shared while highlighting the non-technical skills they believe were most important to a successful leadership journey, including research, education, and service. The interviewees also commented on their leadership approaches being different to men. For instance, women have been found to excel in displaying high integrity and honesty in contrast to men in leadership (Zenger and Folkman, 2019 Harvard Business Review). They said all women are leading in some way, learning about leadership through the highs and lows of their own journey, and about the kind of leader they do not want to become. This type of leadership can occur at all levels of the organisational hierarchy from early to mid-career journeys and via a variety of roles from leading major research projects to tutor groups. They used the challenges and those difficult moments to ensure that they did not become a less than positive leader. Becoming an effective leader is not easy nor straightforward. Difficult leadership decisions need to be made and staff don’t always see this as positive or required if not undertaken with care. Overall, the interviewees suggested that their values included protecting others, preventing colleagues from experiencing invisibility, isolation, voicelessness, and ensuring access to quality mentoring.   A new way of leading The interviewees said quality mentoring is a critical element of progressive leadership models and that women are very good at this type of leadership approach, which can be termed ‘servant leadership’. This is because they often enjoy supporting others from behind the front lines or from the side. Servant leaders is an approach that prioritizes serving others’ needs and fostering a supportive environment, but they also assert themselves when necessary. This type of leadership style is about leading from behind, guiding, and empowering others to shine (Scicluna Lehrke and Sowden, 2017). Rarely did any interviewee express that they lead up-front, and instead expressed how they were proud to be nurturing, self-reflective and a collaborator. Sharing the stories of women in leadership really matter and need to be told. Our interviewees also felt that without their ‘truth’ then the full leadership picture would not be as clear as it could be. Finally, interviewees offered key pointers to developing women in leadership in terms of the skills most needed: Bring your best self and enjoy the journey. If you focus too much on the title or end destination, you will not be happy. Wellness and positive mental health are key to effective leadership. Talk to other colleagues and find out about their leadership stories. You may be pleasantly surprised. Adaptability, positive mindset, and humour were identified as key skills. Listen more, observe, and reflect on how you can bring your best self to the workplace. Work-life balance and juggling carers, parental needs or having a disability and/or menopause can be managed when advocators and supporters who include women and men come together to support one another. We undertook this investigation because we were interested in finding out what made a woman in leadership tick. What were the underlying elements for a prosperous career as a leader in higher education, and what were the similarities and differences between our experience and observation of women in leadership in the USA and Australia. Our interest in this area was also a key outcome of our involvement in the Asia Pacific Women in Leadership program in 2023. We also share these stories about women in leadership because we hold roles in higher education where we are counted on by others, required to lead by example and recognise the significance of mentoring early to senior women working in higher education. Not all women will be excellent leaders, desire to lead or even open to mentoring others. This is the same for men too. However, our interviewees intentionally acquired multiple women and men mentors, often informally, at various stages of their careers. In fact, several women we interviewed said it was not until they stopped worrying about their careers, and instead enjoyed the journey, concentrating on relationship building while undertaking projects that they were passionate about, that they began to see themselves as authentic leaders who could inspire others unconditionally. Rachael Hains-Wesson is associate professor in work-integrated learning at the University of Sydney Business School. Tracy Poon Tambascia is Veronica and David Hagen Chair in Women’s Leadership and a professor at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California.

The Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Program (APWiL) is set to continue its important work with the confirmation of Professor Dawn Freshwater as the new APWiL Presidential Champion. Professor Freshwater, who serves as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland, is a member of the APRU Steering Committee, has been an advocate for gender equity in higher education, and is a supporter of the APWiL Mentoring Program. A globally recognized leader in world-class universities for several decades, she became the University of Auckland’s first female Vice-Chancellor in 2020 after serving as the University of Western Australia’s Vice-Chancellor and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Registrar for six years. Professor Freshwater was the first female Chair of the Go8 Research Intensive Universities in Australia. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women (CEW) and Global Women New Zealand. Professor Dawn Freshwater, APWiL Presidential Champion, Vice-Chancellor, University of Auckland “We are happy to have confirmed a new Champion who has such an extremely strong track record of pushing for gender equity while also being very familiar with the work of the APWiL Mentoring Program” said APWiL Co-Chair Professor Joanna Regulska “We believe Professor Freshwater will be an extraordinary advocate for the goals of APWiL and our signature mentoring program.” The APWiL Mentoring Program was launched in 2020 in response to the APRU 2019 Gender Gap report finding that Pacific Rim universities had made little progress in advancing women into university leadership positions during the previous 5-year period, despite a number of initiatives at the university level. By pairing mentors and mentees across economies for mutually inspiring exchanges under a year-long commitment, the APWiL Mentoring Program offers leaders at APRU universities an opportunity to grow the pipeline of aspiring women leaders. It encourages participants to take on the many challenges that aspiring women leaders are still facing within the region. The APWiL Mentoring Program is currently more than halfway through the 3rd cohort, which involves 45 mentoring pairs from 24 institutions. In addition to the one-on-one mentoring relationships, the program has also held three seminars so far for the 3rd cohort, on the topics of imposter syndrome, intersectionality, and effective communication and negotiation within leadership. “It has been an amazing journey with our 3rd cohort so far. Participation in the three seminars has been encouraging, inspiring, and stimulating. This mentoring program provides a safe space to discuss struggles and successes that are pertinent to women, as well as providing a fantastic opportunity to learn from successful women and men leaders” said APWiL Co-Chair Professor Yvonne Lim. The program can be possible thanks to the collaboration of all partners and a nuclear international APWiL Mentoring Team integrated by Kimberly Bellows, Chelsey Hawes, and Joanna Regulska from UC Davis; Yvonne Lim from Universiti Malaya; and Adriana Rojas and David Quimbayo from the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU). While institutional recruitment for the 4th cohort of the program is now closed, the APWiL Mentoring Program team encourages interested members of the APRU network to consider joining this important gender equity initiative in the future.

Written by Patrick Owen Tuaño Original Post of University of the Philippines Office of International Linkages The APWiL Mentoring Program provides international and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment, professional growth, and development of aspiring women leaders within APRU (Association of Pacific Rim Universities). The APWiL Mentoring Program conducts mentorship through one-on-one sessions, seminars, and hands-on workshops. The program intends to grow the pipeline of aspiring women leaders in APRU, identify professional opportunities for growth and skills development, increase the awareness of challenges that aspiring women leaders face, connect senior leaders at APRU institutions with emerging women leaders, introduce global and intercultural dimensions to leaders across APRU and beyond, and advance ethnic, cultural, and gender diversity of partner institutions. With over more than 20 participating higher education institutions, the APWiL Mentoring Program is a year-long commitment matching a mentor and mentee from one of the participating APRU member universities. Up to two mentors and mentees can represent per university. These mentors and mentees will be paired up with different women from the APRU network, and they shall participate in one-on-one meetings, seminars and workshops that will provide opportunities to develop their leadership skills and obtain insights from other women leaders with the APRU network. They will also have the opportunity to network with senior leaders within he APRU institutions. The APWiL Mentoring Program is a one-year program that requires commitment from its participants. For the second cohort of the APWiL Mentoring Program, the orientation and kick-off were held in November 2021, and it concluded with the graduation ceremony held on October 2022. For the University of the Philippines, two representatives participated for the program. Dr. Nina M. Cadiz was nominated as a mentor, and Dr. Samantha Erika Mendez was nominated as a mentee for the 2nd Cohort of the APWiL Mentoring Program. The orientation for the program began on November 2021, and workshops were held all throughout the year every two to three months. A mid-program survey and assessment was conducted in April 2022. The APWiL Mentoring Program concluded with a closing seminar and graduation ceremony that was held in October 2022. The 3rd Cohort of the APWiL Mentoring Program is currently on the way, with the orientation and kick-off being held last November 2022, and the program concluding in October 2023. From the University of the Philippines, Dr. Amaryllis Tiglao-Torres and Dr. Ma. Victoria R. Raquiza are currently participating as mentors, and Asst. Prof. Irish de Ocampo and Ms. Maritess Cruz are currently participating as mentees. More about Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Program, visit here. More about APWiL Mentoring Program, visit here.

Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) successfully held the APWiL Mentoring Program 3rd Cohort Orientation on November 9. The 3rd Cohort is more than three times larger than that of the pilot program and involved four more mentoring peers than the 2nd Cohort, 47 mentoring pairs from 24 institutions reflecting the interest and need from academics and universities alike. Of these 24 institutions, seven have participated in all 3 cohorts, 12 have participated in two of them, and there are five 5 newcomers this year. The APWiL Mentoring Program is a year-long commitment matching a mentor and mentee from one of the participating APRU member universities to provide mentoring, and international and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment of aspiring women leaders within APRU. Empowerment remains an urgent task, given the persistent complex social and economic barriers to women’s advancement in leadership in academia. “Each year, I say I’m truly excited about the APWiL Mentoring Program, and then there is a next year, and it’s bigger and larger and deeper,” said APWiL Co-Chair, Professor Joanna Regulska, Vice Provost and Dean of Global Affairs at UC Davis, in her opening remarks at the 3rd Cohort Orientation. “The program’s continued growth and additions of new participants underlines the need for this kind of investment in women leaders across higher education,” she added. Regulska went on to note that APWiL is excited to partner with the 3rd cohort participants and welcome mentors and mentees into the program: “I would like to formally welcome you, mentors, to the APWiL Mentoring Program. Thank you for volunteering your time and supporting the growth of the next generation of women leaders. And I would like to formally welcome you, mentees, to the program. We are so excited that you have decided to invest in yourselves and your futures” said Regulska. APWiL Mentoring Program Manager, Kimberly Bellows, Intercultural Programs Coordinator at UC Davis, presented an overview of the cohort’s structure and important logistics explaining that mentoring pairs set their own schedule of at least bi-monthly virtual conversations as anchored by the Mentoring Agreement and Pre-Assessment form. Mentors and mentees were then split into breakout rooms by role where expectations and logistics were discussed in depth. APWiL Co-Chair, Professor Yvonne Lim, Associate Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) at Universiti Malaya, encouraged participants by recalling that her mentor position in the pilot Cohort led to a meaningful and special friendship between her and her mentee, illustrating that the program is a great bilateral opportunity for both mentors and mentees to learn to grow and connect and to work across differences of all aspects. “What my mentee was sharing with me made me reflect about the different stages in my own career when I was facing similar issues,” Lim said. “I think it helped me to be more empathetic to colleagues who are at different stages of their careers. And this helps me to be a better leader and communicator” she added. Time will tell what the next year holds in store for the third cohort participants. APWiL and everyone at APRU welcomes all new participants of the mentoring program and wishes them success in the year ahead! APWiL Mentoring Program 3rd Cohort Participants Mentor Megumi AKAI, Osaka University Kim BARRETT, University of California, Davis Kum-Kum BHAVNANI, University of California, Santa Barbara Alison BUTLER, University of California, Santa Barbara Leila CARVALHO, University of California, Santa Barbara Nikki CHUN, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Ivy CHUNG, Universiti Malaya Irma ERANA, Tecnológico de Monterrey Michele FORD, The University of Sydney Alisa FREEDMAN, University of Oregon Aya HAGISHIMA, Kyushu University Suzi HONG, University of California, San Diego Te Kawehau HOSKINS, The University of Auckland Lori IDETA, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Sooyeon KIM, National University of Singapore Sri KURNIAWAN, University of California, Santa Cruz Yeng Ming LAM, Nanyang Technological University Cassandra LEE, University of California, Davis Jeannette LEE, National University of Singapore Sang-Hee LEE, University of California, Riverside Yoon-Jung LEE, Korea University Huinan LIU, University of California, Riverside Ellis MENG, University of Southern California Susette MIN, University of California, Davis Juliana NG, The Australian National University Mee Kam NG, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Suzanne NIELSEN, Monash University Kyoko OHARA, Keio University Akiyo OKUDA, Keio University Stefanie Shamila PILLAI, Universiti Malaya Tracy POON TAMBASCIA, University of Southern California Thomas PREISS, The Australian National University Ma. Victoria RAQUIZA, University of the Philippines Jayashri RAVISHANKA, UNSW Sydney John RUNDLE, University of California, Davis Joanne RYAN, Monash University Celine Parreñas SHIMIZU, University of California, Santa Cruz Moon Jung SONG, Korea University Jiro TAKAI, Nagoya University Jemaima TIATIA, The University of Auckland Amaryllis TORRES, University of the Philippines Karla VALENZUELA, Tecnológico de Monterrey Adriana VERGES, UNSW Sydney Serena YANG, University of California, Davis Kristin YARRIS, University of Oregon Gillian YEO, Nanyang Technological University Mentee Shana BROWN, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Frances BYRNE, UNSW Sydney Eunsu CHOI, Korea University Sohyun CHUN, Nagoya University Maritess CRUZ, University of the Philippines Jennifer DAN, University of California, San Diego Faithe DAY, University of California, Santa Barbara Irish Joy DEOCAMPO, University of the Philippines Micaela DÍAZ-SÁNCHEZ, University of California, Santa Barbara Ding DING, The Australian National University Rachael HAINS-WESSON, The University of Sydney Fiona HO, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Poh Choo HOW, University of California, Davis Tracy HUANG, UNSW Sydney Yoko IBUKA, Keio University Kaori IDEMARU, University of Oregon Sachiko KAZEKAMI, Keio University Vera KELLER, University of Oregon Hyejeong KIM, Korea University Kuriko KUDO, Kyushu University Charity LEE, Universiti Malaya Yanran LI, University of California, Riverside Nayeli MARTÍNEZ CONSUEGRA, Tecnológico de Monterrey Lauren MAY, Monash University Yujie MEN, University of California, Riverside Fernanda PENALOZA, The University of Sydney Radhika PRABHAKAR, University of Southern California Katherine RALSTON, University of California, Davis Uma RAVAT, University of California, Santa Barbara Alicia RILEY, University of California, Santa Cruz Carolina SENÉS, Tecnológico de Monterrey Yong Adilah SHAMSUL HARUMAIN, Universiti Malaya Shaheen SIKANDAR, University of California, Santa Cruz Nadia SINGH, University of Oregon Eunice TAN, National University of Singapore Jinna TAY, National University of Singapore Stephanie TEVES, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Eleanor VANDEGRIFT, University of Oregon Nicole VARGAS, The Australian National University Grace WANGGE, Monash University Chen-His WONG, Nanyang Technological University An-Min WU, University of Southern California Mao YAGIHASHI, Osaka University Xiao YANG, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Yizhao YANG, University of Oregon Xiao LUO, University of California, Santa Barbara More information about APWiL Mentoring Program.

The APRU Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) program has confirmed its new co-chair, Prof. Yvonne Ai-Lian Lim (former Director of International Relations Office, Universiti Malaya). The appointment period will be for an initial term of three years commencing on 1 September 2022.  The new APWiL Co-Chair is joining Prof. Joanna Regulska (Vice Provost and Dean – Global Affairs and Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at the University of California, Davis). As her first move of action, the co-chair is engaging in the organization of the 3rd Cohort of the APWiL Mentoring Program and overseeing the strategic framework and direction of the APWiL Program by taking an active role in the development and implementation of program activities to advance gender equity across the APRU network considerably. She brings a unique perspective as she participated in the pilot year of the APWiL Mentoring Program as a mentor. “It is important that we have a critical pool of women representation in leadership and management as women bring different approaches, dimensions, and perspectives in conflict resolution as well as the art of elegant negotiation and diplomacy,” says Yvonne Lim. Professor Yvonne Lim, at the University of Malaya. 2018 Yvonne Lim is a professor at the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur and a council member of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM). Her research focuses on host-parasite interactions and the epidemiology and control of neglected tropical diseases primarily among the indigenous communities. Currently, together with researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, her team is further elucidating the role of gut microbiota-helminth association with nutritional status and inflammatory responses. She has published more than 240 scientific papers, 9 book chapters and 3 books. She has supervised more than 30 postgraduate students to completion. She was a visiting fellow at the Department of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Australia and visiting professor at the Department of Molecular Parasitology and Tropical Diseases, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She recently completed her Fulbright Scholar Program at the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA. Prof. Yvonne Lim is taking over leadership from Dr. Sabrina Lin, Senior Advisor to the President at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who will finish her term on 31 October 2022. Dr. Lin guided, in collaboration with Prof. Regulska, APWiL strategy since 2019. She collaborated in creating the two APWiL Mentoring Programs, which have impacted more than 100 professional women from APRU universities. With these programs, APRU reinforces its goal to advance gender equality worldwide. The Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Program (APWiL) aims to drive change in gender equality while taking into account the various contexts in which this pursuit of gender equity takes place across APRU member universities.

Original post on Tec News Written by: Mónica Torres Five Tec de Monterrey’s professors were selected to participate in a mentoring program of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) to support the empowerment of aspiring women leaders. The School of Engineering and Sciences (EIC) and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (EMCS) teachers joined the Asia-Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Mentoring Program. The five representatives have had the opportunity to work with mentors and people who receive mentoring via Zoom, and who work in more than 60 universities belonging to APRU. “At Tec de Monterrey, we are very proud to participate in what is considered the first formal version of the program,” said Adriana Rojas, leader of Institutional Networks and Alliances at the Center for the Recognition of Human Dignity. As a common goal, the program seeks to provide international and intercultural opportunities for the professional growth and development of women. More than an effort to combat gender inequality From the School of Engineering and Sciences (EIC), participating in this initiative: María Ileana Ruiz Luz María Martínez. On the other hand, from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (EMCS): Gabriela María Ruiz Nancy de los Ángeles Segura Silvia Lorraine Montes. In the academic and labor world, the opportunity gap is one of the most visible challenges that continue blocking the progress and participation of women in their jobs, explained Dr. María Ileana Ruiz. “As a woman, we cannot question whether or not we are capable of doing something, we have to do it and, usually, we have to achieve it without showing any weakness,” reflected Ruiz. According to the APRU, women from universities in the Pacific Rim have made relatively little progress in gaining access to leadership positions in the last 5 years, despite the presence of institutional initiatives. “On the participation of women in different professional areas, we swept, but it is in leadership competitions where we still see a panorama dominated by men,” explained Professor Silvia Montes. The APWiL pretends to promote change by taking into consideration the several contexts in which this search for gender equity in universities takes place. “We start by seeing what makes us different, but then we realize what unites us, and in the end, we understand that we are part of the same community,” Rojas said. Meet the Tec women who took the challenge To be part of this ongoing initiative, which began in October 2021 and intends to conclude in September 2022, the five teachers from the areas of Engineering and Medicine were invited to apply. These professors joined the experience as part of the 94 participants from 26 institutions that were involved, a noticeable increase from the pilot in 2020, which registered 30 participants from 10 institutions. “Being selected is a distinction. They value your professional career, but also that you can transmit knowledge, strategies, resources, and support to other professors and researchers”, assured Dr. Gabriela Ruíz. After being designated as mentors, these Tec women were paired with different professionals at universities around the world, from the United States to Australia. “Being part of this program as a mentor is a challenge and satisfaction. I have the honor of having two mentees and I am learning a lot from them”, shares Dr. Nancy de los Ángeles. Human relationships that go for long While the teachers have highlighted the honor of being part of this APRU initiative, most of them agree that the real gift of this experience was the professional and personal relationships they formed. “My experience was with a professional in the area of ​​psychology with whom I was amazed. Because of her training, I thought that she should teach me, but we learned together,” said Dr. María Ileana Ruiz. Rojas highlights that, with this mentoring initiative, women can demonstrate how there are different avenues to collaborate on gender equality throughout the world and based on common concerns. “I had the opportunity to meet a teacher from Korea who started a YouTube channel during the pandemic to teach her children to read in a fun way,” said teacher Silvia Montes. “Not only was she an excellent academic, but she cared about supporting other working moms, and it’s these kinds of experiences that made me realize I wasn’t alone,” she reflected. Being able to collaborate with colleagues and students from different parts of the world working for equality and professional growth is a vision shared by Tec mentors for the future of this initiative. “If they find the opportunity to participate in this type of program, I think it is always good to give something back to the community that we have benefited from,” exhorts Dr. Gabriela. “I think the answer to the current environment is these kinds of activities that allow us to get closer to and between women. We can change what we are experiencing, this is my way of fighting”, concluded María Ileana.

The APWiL Mentoring Program reflected on International Women’s Day on March 8, featuring three female academic leaders sharing their experiences initiating change in higher education. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Find the recording of the powerful event on our YouTube channel. “The pandemic made us more reflective of who we are, where our place in the academic community is, and it made us realize how connected we are, even from afar,” said Derlie Mateo-Babiano, Associate Professor in Urban Planning and Assistant Dean, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Melbourne. Speaking as the APWiL Mentoring Program workshop’s moderator, Mateo-Babiano added that “it also made us acknowledge the important role that women and girls play in creating a shared path to a more gender-equal world.” Karima Bennoune, Homer G. Angelo and Ann Berryhill Endowed Chair in International Law and Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law, UC Davis, said that in the current situation with the pandemic and the war in the Ukraine, it is vital for women to build global connections. Bennoune pointed out that on International Women’s Day in 1917, Russian women demonstrated for bread and an end of World War 1. “It is very important that we remember the lessons of history, because it helps us make the positive changes that we need so desperately need in our world today,” Bennoune said. Bennoune drew the stories from the research she did for her book Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here: Untold Stories from the Fight Against Muslim Fundamentalism, published in 2013. Chiapei Chou, National Taiwan University’s Executive Vice President, for her part, described how she was trained in civil engineering, a heavily male-dominated field. During the first two decades of Chou’s academic career, she was one out of only two women among 55 faculty members. “However, I have never felt that being a woman affects my professional life,” Chou said. “I am a mother of two, so I have learned how to be very attentive to my students, which made me very popular with the students and helped me in my academic career,” she added. Marian Mahat, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, shared her experiences of starting her PhD studies relatively late in life and then having to interrupt the studies to follow her husband to another city to further his career. Mahat has since divorced, both her parents have passed away, and her child developed mental health issues during the pandemic. “Like most people, I struggled to find a balance between life and work, and Covid-19 made the situation even worse for women academics,” Mahat said. “But I wrote seven books in five years, and I see this as a way to give back to academia and provide an opportunity for me to connect with academics from around the world.” One book in particular, aptly named, “Women Thriving in Academia,” sets out to empower women in academia to unite in sharing their stories, inspiring and encouraging one another. Please visit the event webpage for more information.   About APWiL and the APWiL Mentoring Program As leaders, the universities of APRU are committed to leading by example, addressing gender imbalances on their own turf through various initiatives. The Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Program (APWiL) aims to drive change in gender equality while taking into account the various contexts in which this pursuit for gender equity takes place across APRU member universities. The APWiL Mentoring Program is a year-long commitment matching a mentor and mentee from one of the participating APRU member universities to provide international and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment of aspiring women leaders within APRU.

The annual APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Research Prize is now accepting applications for outstanding research work that strives to improve women’s health and economic well-being, and charts the way for more inclusive growth. The winning entry will receive USD 20,000 and the two runners-up will receive USD 5,000 each. The prize, first launched during APEC 2019 in Chile with the support of Merck, aims to encourage the development and usage of sex-disaggregated data and promote gender-based research within APEC. As women across the world were hit especially hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those who serve as unpaid caregivers, more research is needed to support solutions and advancements that allow women to stay in the workforce as the world rebounds. “We know that women in the region are overrepresented in industries hit hard by the pandemic—food, services, hospitality and tourism, to name a few,” said Renee Graham, the Chair of APEC Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy. “While our focus is to narrow disparity and improve women’s economic participation, we must also ensure that we pay attention to women’s health, safety and well-being.” Thailand, host economy of APEC 2022, is prioritizing inequality and imbalance this year by integrating inclusivity and sustainability objectives in tandem with economic goals. “To ensure an inclusive recovery from COVID-19, which has disproportionately impacted women and girls, we must implement evidence-based, gender-sensitive policies,” said Kannika Charoenluk of Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. “Original research, backed by data and evidence, will be crucial in ensuring a gender-intentional recovery and future growth model.” Since its inception in 2015, the APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies initiative has improved women’s health through public-private partnerships. One key outcome has been the cross-sector collaboration in creating a policy toolkit—a compendium of the issues, actions, and implementing elements for improving women’s health across five areas. The areas are: workplace health and safety; health awareness and access; sexual and reproductive health; gender-based violence; and work-life balance. Applicants to the 2022 APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Research Prize can be individuals or teams, with the stipulation that one official participant must represent an APEC member economy. Applicants do not need to come from academia, as long as the research is evidence-based and addresses at least one of the pillars outlined in the Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Policy Toolkit. The prize winner may choose to present their research to APEC gender experts in the public and private sectors on the margins of the 2022 APEC Women and the Economy Forum, hosted by Thailand. “Now more than ever, we need to promote research that supports our collective effort in alleviating the economic burdens women face in the workforce,” said Hong Chow, Executive Vice President and Head of China and International of Merck Healthcare. “By using science, we can provide evidence-based information to policymakers and business leaders so that the right measures get implemented to improve women’s health so women can join and rise in the workforce,” she concluded. Interested candidates may access the prize application form through this link. The application deadline is Tuesday, 31 May 2022. For more information, please visit the APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies website or contact [email protected] with any questions.   For further details, please contact: Masyitha Baziad +65 9751 2146 at [email protected] Michael Chapnick +65 9647 4847 [email protected]

Original post on UC Davis Global Affairs The University of California, Davis, and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) launched the second cohort of the Asia-Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Mentoring Program, kicking off with 87 participants, nearly three times the number during its pilot year. The program is focused on providing mentoring to aspiring leaders from 25 institutions in the APRU network. Now in its second year, the APRU APWiL Mentoring Program offers leaders—both women and men—at APRU universities an opportunity to grow the pipeline of aspiring women leaders, increase awareness of challenges that aspiring women leaders face within the region, and introduce global and intercultural dimensions to leaders across the APRU network and beyond. The pilot program in 2020-21 served 30 participants from 10 universities. The program is led by co-chairs Sabrina Lin, senior advisor to the president at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean of Global Affairs and a professor of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at UC Davis. Along with Global Affairs at UC Davis and HKUST, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at UC Davis is a co-leader of the initiative. This collaboration is also supported by Jackie Wong, director of network and student programs, and Anya Wong, program officer, from the APRU International Secretariat. “The first APWiL Mentoring Program cohort was filled with wonderful connections between mentors and mentees. Now, with almost triple the number of enthusiastic participants in our 2021-22 cohort, we have a tremendous opportunity to continue forming a lasting collaborative network of women global leaders in academia. It is critical for the empowerment of women across the world to engage in intercultural conversations and recognize the commonality of challenges, but also of great opportunities as showcased by the participants. This program aims to create both formal and informal spaces where meaningful dialogues can take place,” said Regulska. A Framework For Success Jessica Bissett Perea, one of the mentees from the first cohort in 2020-21, chose to participate in the APWiL program to explore opportunities for leadership that could help her in her future pursuits. Her meaningful connections have helped further her understanding of the various leadership structures and practices throughout organizations. “I was extremely fortunate to be paired with an experienced and dynamic mentor, Dr. Yvonne Lim Ai Lian (Health Sciences), Director of International Relations and Professor of Parasitology. Her thoughtful and supportive mentorship and guidance helped me to better appreciate the densities of university leadership styles and how these styles do (or do not) align with Indigenous leadership styles. I am very pleased to report that I have significantly expanded my network of women leaders,” said Perea. Building on the success of the inaugural program, APWiL has the potential this year to influence even more participants like Perea. Organizers look to increased programming to give them ample opportunity to encourage networking and dialogue between mentees and mentors. “The pilot program this past year was well received by the mentors and mentees. I am thrilled to see the tremendous growth in the number of universities supporting the program, and a three-times increase in the number of mentor and mentee participants,” said Lin. “With continued efforts in our matching process and in adding more webinars and networking activities, I look forward to a rewarding experience again this year.” The increased growth within the second cohort led organizers to return to some of the infrastructure used in the planning of the first cohort. The individual matching process used this year to pair mentors and mentees is the same method as last year. They brought back a template for a mentoring agreement, allowing mentees to outline goals to help mentors focus on areas of interest and development. Organizers also took significant learnings from their year of hosting remote workshops. Building on this framework, the APWiL team is already seeing connections form across the globe. “We’re off to a great start,” said Chelsey Hawes, study abroad enrollment and operations officer in Global Affairs and program manager of the APWiL Mentoring Program. “Mentors and mentees have met at least once so far and joined us for our orientation program and first seminar, Women’s Representation in Higher Education in the Pacific Rim, in partnership with the American Council on Education and the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. During this seminar, we heard from scholars from Australia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia on the commonalities and differences in barriers to women’s advancement in leadership and how each country is addressing or not addressing these barriers.” These partnerships between universities, mentors, mentees, scholars and others are the heart of APWiL. For this program, success is greater than the number of participants and events; success is rooted in connections and the positive impact of forming networks. “It has been a pleasure to work with the APWiL program and to be affiliated with other universities in the U.S. and around the world. I believe in the power of collaborative networks, working together for common goals, and connecting across boundaries for mutual advancement. We have so many commonalities across the globe that can unite us. This program provides women with opportunities to be in community with other scholars from other schools, to be encouraged, and to be equipped with additional tips for success that will contribute to their ability to be change agents within their spaces. When we are engaged in work as an international community, we have a chance to see the world differently, to enhance our understanding, and to be more comprehensive in our own jobs, as we apply the new, and broader world perspectives that programs like APWiL provide,” said Renetta Garrison Tull, vice chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at UC Davis. To further support the second cohort, APWiL leadership has grown too. Kimberly Bellows, intercultural programs coordinator in Global Affairs, joined the team as the program coordinator for the APWiL Mentoring Program. “I’m very excited to be supporting the APWiL Mentoring Program as it begins its second year,” she said. “From attending the pilot program’s graduation ceremony, I know how impactful the program was on that first cohort, and I’m looking forward to supporting the second cohort’s journey. We’ve heard from current mentors and mentees that their first meetings have gone well, and it’s truly inspiring to see their goals and plans for the coming year.” Carrying The Momentum Forward The success of APWiL continues to spread as its influence extends beyond its participants. Fulfilling its promise of inspiring leadership, the program’s mentors and mentees are having an effect on other connections and communities. “The impact that the program has had on both mentees and mentors is beyond what I could have imagined,” said Hawes. “Following the first cohort, there were mentors and mentees who started women in leadership groups on their own campuses modeled after APWiL, mentees who held networking events and workshops on DEI as it pertains to women’s gender equity at their institution, and a mentor and mentee who formalized the relationship between their two institutions through an agreement where they held a monthly seminar series for folks at both institutions during the fall term.” Time will tell what the 2021-22 cohort will be inspired to develop next. Nearly 90 participants from 25 institutions include six UC Davis faculty and administrators: Cynthia Carter CHING, University of California, Davis (mentor) Jennifer CURTIS, University of California, Davis (mentor) Lisa TELL, University of California, Davis (mentor) Norkamari Shakira BANDOLIN, University of California, Davis (mentee) Christine MCBETH, University of California, Davis (mentee) Cecilia TSU, University of California, Davis (mentee)

Written by Peggy McInerny, Director of Communications, UCLA Original post on UCLA International Institute UCLA participants in the APRU Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Mentorship Program. Top row, from left: Mentors Cindy Fan, Christine Dunkel Schetter, Victoria Sork and Janina Montero. Bottom row, from left: UCLA mentees Derjung Mimi Tarn, Margaret Peters and Yuen Huo. (Photos:UCLA or provided by subject. Janina Montero photo by Jintak Han/ Daily Bruin. Graphic courtesy of APWiL/ APRU.) “The Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Mentoring Program has been invaluable for me,” says Derjung Mimi Tarn, M.D., professor of family medicine at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “The program created a safe space to discuss struggles and successes that are pertinent to women, and provided a wonderful opportunity to learn from prominent female leaders. Unfortunately, the problems faced by women in academic medicine are not isolated to one university or country, but are shared globally,” added the doctor, who also has a Ph.D. in health services. “This mentoring program gave me the opportunity to develop a global support network, to learn about the unique challenges of those from different countries and cultures and to reflect on how to build on the experiences of others in my own leadership roles.” Tarn was one of three UCLA representatives to participate in the initial APWiL Mentoring Program pilot year (2020–21), which paired 15 mentors with 15 mentees at 10 of the 61 member universities of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU).* Margaret Peters, associate professor of political science at UCLA and a member of the current APWiL cohort, comments, “I am greatly enjoying working with my mentor, Mark Edele, who is at the University of Melbourne [Hansen Professor of History and deputy associate dean, faculty of the arts]. He has provided great advice and it is very interesting to learn how different universities function around the world.” APRU, UCLA and APWiL APRU is a network of leading research universities located on both sides of the Pacific that facilitates the exchange of ideas and collaborative research to devise effective solutions to the challenges of the 21st century. UCLA is a founding and active member of APRU. Chancellor Gene Block is the current APRU chair, Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement Cindy Fan is former co-chair of its International Policy Advisory Committee and in 2019, UCLA hosted the 23rd APRU Annual Presidents’ Meeting as part of its Centennial Celebration on campus. APWil Co-Chair Joanna Regulska. (Photo: UC Davis.) The APWiL Mentoring Program was created in 2020 as part of a larger strategy to close the gender gap and give diversity efforts greater traction across APRU member institutions. The program is co-chaired by Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean of global affairs at UC Davis, and Sabrina Lin, Ph.D., senior advisor to the president of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), former HKUST vice president for institutional advancement and a veteran of the IT industry. (See a recent op-ed by the co-chairs on the impact of the pandemic on women in academia.) Day-to-day program operations are managed by Kimberly Bellows and Chelsey Hawes of UC Davis Global Affairs. APWil Co-Chair Sabrina Lin. (Photo courtesy of APWiL/APRU.) “I am inspired by the conversation among women of APRU member institutions about the challenges we face, but more importantly, by the opportunity to engage in intercultural and collective effort to support women’s leadership in our institutions,” said Regulska. “Advancing women’s empowerment and global engagement are my two most critical commitments, and this program offers both. The fact that just in the second year of the program existence we have tripled participation speaks volumes to the need for such global conversations, but also interest on the part of women and the commitment of their institutions to advance women’s leadership,” she added. UCLA Vice Provost Fan and Christine Dunkel Schetter, distinguished professor of psychology and psychiatry and associate vice chancellor of faculty development at UCLA, participated as mentors during the program’s pilot year. Fan worked with Surabhi Chopra, associate professor of law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who had worked as an attorney in nonprofit organizations before starting an academic career. “I can honestly say that, without the many mentors in my professional life, both men and women, I would not have aspired to senior leadership in academia,” said Fan at a graduation ceremony for the first APWiL cohort. “I found that listening is the most important criterion in the mentor’s job description. … [And] I’ve found that the most important experiences that I have shared are my own failures. I’ve learned so much from false starts, mistakes and setbacks.” Graphic courtesy of APWil/ APRU. Recognizing the difficulties of gaining traction In remarks to the first cohort of APWiL mentees last fall,** Dawn Freshwater, vice chancellor of the University of Auckland (New Zealand), highlighted the lack of improvement in the number of women university leaders at APRU member institutions in the preceding half-decade (see “2019 APRU Gender Gap Report”). In a similar vein, Fan pointed to findings from a 2017 publication of the American Council on Education, which documented that women have earned more than 50 percent of all doctoral degrees in the U.S. since 2006, but as of 2015, held only 32 percent of full professorships in U.S. degree-granting institutions. University of Auckland Vice Chancellor Dawn Freshwater. (Photo: University of Auckland.) Freshwater — like Fan, a first-generation college graduate who became a university leader — stressed the importance of informal leadership for changing organizational culture. “[I]n my experience, policies are one thing… but their existence alone isn’t enough. Policies must be implemented by their leaders’ commitment to their purpose and they can only be successful where there is an environment and organizational culture that supports them. “[W]hat I have witnessed and experienced is that good intention without meaningful interaction and meaningful engagement across the whole of the institution is irrelevant. So, for me, I focus as a leader on building culture.” Effecting change requires consistent focus, she emphasized. Gender equity in universities is more imperative than ever, given the impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic on young female academics, said Freshwater. “As leaders we must act to ensure careers are not permanently scarred by COVID-19 disruptions. We know that early-stage female researchers are some of the most seriously impacted members of our university communities as a result of the pandemic. “Their work has had to be put on hold as lockdowns forced them home and to full-time childcare and home responsibilities. Research output for women has… decreased, especially for women with children under the age of five, and systemic racism faced by women of color has worsened.” Whether universities are responding to the gender and equity gap, the climate crisis or the pandemic, Freshwater said, “Diverse and inclusive leadership holds the key to meeting these challenges for the future. “This means women. It means women of color. It means young women. It means women with disability. It means people of rainbow communities. It means university leadership within our universities must reflect society.” APWiL co-chair Sabrina Lin identified another key component in advancing women into university leadership: male allies. “Without the advocacy of our male allies, I think it would be very difficult to improve diversity overall,” she said. UCLA participants weigh in on the challenges As APWiL Co-Chair Regulska noted, the mentoring program has tripled in size in its second year, with 87 participants across 26 APRU member universities. UCLA participants in the 2021–22 cohort include mentees Margaret Peters and Yuen Huo, professor of psychology; and mentors Janina Montero, vice chancellor-student affairs emerita, and Victoria Sork, distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and former dean of life sciences. Several of these participants, together with Vice Provost Fan and Dr. Derjung Mimi Tarn of the program’s first year, shared their thoughts on some of the priorities identified by Freshwater and Lin. APWiL held an orientation for its second cohort of mentors and mentees in early November 2021. Graphic courtesy of APWiL/ APRU. The pandemic has hit women academics in medicine particularly hard, said Tarn. “Female researchers have definitely been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Women have had more work-life conflicts than men, and more are suffering from depression. “Among physicians, gender disparities in mental health have increased. Without immediate intervention to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on these young researchers, many who would otherwise have been successful will end up leaving academia.” Peters concurred, “This is a very important issue right now for all academic parents, but especially women, upon whom the burden of caregiving usually falls. “It is great that UCLA is providing more funding and providing clock extensions, but I think more needs to be done,” she continued. “I constantly hear about faculty who are thinking about leaving the profession because they are burned out, having had little time for research. I think the university should think about providing additional sabbaticals for those who have suffered a disproportionate impact due to their care duties during the pandemic.” On the need for male allies, Tarn remarked of her experience in medical academia, “I can’t say enough about them. They are critical to improving diversity and gender equity. My strongest and most effective supporters have been male faculty members who stood up for me and supported me during my career. “I have had strong female allies as well, but often other men were more receptive to the thoughts and opinions of other men [i.e., male allies]. Without these supportive men, I would likely have left academics early in my career.” Huo, a current program mentee, agreed. “This effort should not be a ‘woman only’ issue. Initiatives and policies to support women can be most successful if people at the institution — men and women — work to change norms. “What resonated with me is hearing UBC President Santa Ono (a male ally) mention that men have historically nominated each other for awards and positions and that in his TED talk, he started the hashtag #nominateher to encourage both men and women to promote talented women in higher education. I think that’s an exciting movement.” (President and Vice Chancellor of the University of British Columbia, Ono is the current APWiL presidential champion.) Janina Montero, whose long and distinguished career in student affairs included the creation and management of enduring mentorship programs, noted that one of her greatest mentors was a male professor. “I don’t see women as being the only ones who can provide career guidance and a push to other women. But we have more direct experience — we’re the ones that bear the children, if you will — and that affects the way we do our work,” she commented. “Women who have families or who have both a job and a set of personal responsibilities — there’s a degree of juggling, really wrestling with more than juggling, those multiple demands. “I feel it’s important for older women like me to engage with professional women going through this kind of questioning: ‘How do I take the next step?’ ‘Do you juggle?’ ‘How do you juggle? ‘How do you view particular opportunities?’ How do you seek particular opportunities?’ In its second year, the APWiL Mentoring Program began offering online seminars to current and past program participants and created a private website where they can interact and share information. Gracphic courtesy of APWiL/ APRU. With respect to organizational culture, former UCLA mentee Tarn reflected, “Informal leaders can be instrumental in cultivating supporting environments. Women need trusted informal leaders who they can approach for support and advice.” Montero commented, “I think there has been progress in organizational culture, but I think we all need to be thinking in more inclusive ways. For example, if there are no women or no people of color applying for a position, ‘Nobody applied’ is no longer the answer. “I go back to the structural reality. What do you want your hiring pools to look like? What opportunities do you give your faculty? Who are you giving opportunity to, in terms of conferences, committee work and exposure? Are you paying attention that if today you give it to Peter, are you going to be sure to give it to Sally or Molly the next time? Montero stressed that to be effective, a commitment to equity and diversity must be present at all levels of management of a university — “not only among the obvious leadership, but also among boards and trustees. If they don’t see the value in these goals, that will permeate the pyramid and the culture. “Diversity is never a one-way street. It’s stunning how much a diversity of voices — especially if you give people the opportunity not to be there just as a potted plant, but to contribute — produces an outcome that is infinitely better than a more homogeneous approach.” * APRU member universities that participated in the pilot year were the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Keio University (Japan), Osaka University (Japan), University of British Columbia (Canada), UC Davis (USA), UCLA (USA), University of Malaya (Malaysia), University of New South Wales (Australia) and University of Sydney (Australia). ** To view the video of the pilot program graduation ceremony, copy and paste this link into your web browser: https://bit.ly/3JrGPcv. Read the APRU article on the second cohort of the APWiL Mentoring Program here.

Written by Joanna Regulska and Sabrina Lin Original post on Nikkei COVID-19 has added new challenges for women.   © AP Joanna Regulska is co-chair of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities’ Women in Leadership (APRU APWiL) Program and vice-provost and dean of global affairs, professor of gender, sexuality and women’s studies, University of California, Davis. Sabrina Lin is co-chair, APRU APWiL, and senior adviser to president of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. COVID-19 has brought with it the blurring of our personal and professional lives. In the field of higher education, where career advancement depends so much on hitting numbers, including publication numbers, citation numbers, grants earned, students advised, women have been hit the hardest. At the onset of the pandemic, the virus resulted in women’s decreased research productivity. Initial evidence suggests that while women academics working from home are submitting fewer manuscripts and external funding submissions, their male counterparts are submitting more. Despite assuming fewer leadership positions in general, the pandemic has also given rise to the glass cliff effect, or the overrepresentation of women advancing to leadership positions during periods of crisis when the risk of failure is highest. Indeed, COVID-19 has added new challenges for women in academia. But to peg the pandemic as a vacuum out of which these implications arose would be narrow-minded. Social inequities in academia have existed for decades. The field itself emerged at a time when, typically, male academics received the support of their stay-at-home spouses. Once women did enter the field, they were often met with gender-based obstacles to achieving tenure, being granted promotions, or simply earning the same respect afforded to their male counterparts. The pandemic has shone a glaring light on disparities that date back longer than we wish to admit. We can begin to make amends by first acknowledging the full spectrum of complexities that women face, ones that are inextricably linked to other systemic barriers. Women are the backbone of the care economy, what might be better termed as the “actual” economy, and the reality is that most women do not have the luxury of separating work from home. The care economy can be defined as any care — child care, social or domestic services — provided in formal and informal settings. Women around the world, particularly in Japan, were already doing most of the world’s unpaid care work prior to the pandemic, and COVID-19 has only amplified this burden. A report by the International Labor Organization identified unpaid care work as the biggest impediment to women’s formal employment, affecting 21.7% of women compared to 1.7% of men. Such obligations often result in women devoting less time to their career advancement. In some cases, causing them to postpone promotions or leave the field of academia altogether. One step in the right direction could be incorporating care work into teaching evaluations, which tend to disfavor women. As it stands, many academic institutions put too much weight into evaluating professors based on their research output. It is time for us to ditch the publish or perish pretense that has become so prevalent in academia. This method is simply not viable today and especially disadvantages women who are contributing to multiple areas of university life in addition to research. While women make up the majority of undergraduate and master’s degree holders, their representation in research is only 28% globally. Such underrepresentation varies by country and discipline, and while in some cases gender parity in research is almost achieved, in many other instances there is a long path ahead to meeting such a benchmark. How can we better support women in academia? It comes down to dialogue. During the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) virtual annual presidents’ meeting, international experts in higher education came together to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on women academics. The conclusion we came to was simple: there is no such thing as a best fit solution. Challenges women face in academia are not always plain to see, often materializing in subtle ways, like when women are not considered to serve on certain committees, when their contributions during meetings are appropriated, or when they are silenced by louder voices. Rather than assuming you know what is best for your women faculty, ask them. What do you need? An extra year in your tenure clock? Additional material support? Childcare and mental health support resources? New, nondiscriminatory criteria that make it possible to appreciate the contributions of all faculty members? Commitment to hiring dual career partners? Similarly, not all academic institutions are uniform, with different universities boasting different institutional cultures and access to financial and personal resources. While some institutions maintain an equal footing in research, teaching and service, others are more focused on one cause. We must remain committed to gender, racial and social equity while recognizing the nuanced constraints of each individual institution. We have presented a snippet of the full picture of women academics’ experiences, which differ vastly across racial, ethnic, cultural and other contexts. As exemplified during the APRU senior international leaders’ meeting, which brought together leaders from 18 different countries, it is increasingly important to leverage international networks like APRU in order to adopt global solutions to issues of inequity. And to bear in mind that equity is different from equality.

APRU held the first seminar of the Asia-Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Mentoring Program’s 2nd Cohort on December 8, exploring women’s representation and advancement in higher education leadership in the Pacific Rim. Speakers from Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Australia shared their personal experiences and views, shedding light on both the commonalities and differences in barriers to women’s advancement in leadership. The APWiL Mentoring Program is a year-long commitment matching a mentor and mentee from one of the participating APRU member universities. It provides international and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment, professional growth, and development of aspiring women leaders within APRU. The program is co-chaired by Dr Sabrina Lin, Senior Advisor to the HKUST President and Professor Joanna Regulska, Vice Provost and Dean – Global Affairs, and Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, UC Davis. The APWiL Mentoring Program 2nd Cohort will run until September 30, 2022, involving 94 participants from 26 institutions. APRU held the APWiL Mentoring Program Seminar in partnership with the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College. The seminar was moderated by Professor Joanna Regulska, Vice Provost and Dean – Global Affairs, and Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, UC Davis and APWiL Co-Chair. “Women’s higher education leadership has been an integral component of ACE’s work for decades, including our robust AEC women’s network and our initiatives aiming for gender parity in higher education leadership,” said Carly O’Connell, American Council on Education (ACE) Representative, in her opening address. “APRU’s commitment to mentorship and women lifting up other women is very much in the same spirit as ACE’s efforts,” she added. Norzaini Azman, Professor of Higher Education at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia, shared her personal experience of earning her PhD in Manchester and afterwards getting into an academic management leadership position in Malaysia. Azman had difficulty juggling that work with the needs of her own child and felt that she did not have enough time to dive deeply into her own area of higher education. “I took two sabbaticals, which was a very important decision that allowed me to develop my academic leadership, and I think that Malaysian women are really moving away from the assumption that they are best suited for domestic work,” Azman said. “We work hard, have academic overseas experience and networks, so there are the opportunities and skillsets needed to become academic leaders,” she added. Amalia Di lorio AM, Professor of Finance and Associate Provost (International and Academic Partnerships), La Trobe University, Australia, recalled that she was trained in medical radiology but after graduation did not want to work in that field. Coming from an Italian family which had restaurants in Australia, she chose to study accounting, which eventually led her to become a professor of finance. “My first years of academic life were really intense, because I had two little children, and I could not have done it without support from my family,” Di lorio said. “In Australia, we have come a long way in gender equality discussions, but it does not mean we are seeing many women in academic leadership positions,” she added. Linda Chelan Li, Professor of Political Science at the Department of Public Policy and director of Research Centre for Sustainable Hong Kong (CSHK), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, pointed out that collaboration with other academics is a very important form of leadership. “Women need to stand taller in this time when we are still living in a transitional culture,” Li said. Click here to view more information about the event.