The Committee on Women’s Issues (CWI) was formed in 1992 by then-president Saul K. Fenster to address the needs of women faculty and administrators at a technological university.  For over 15 years, the committee has worked to improve the climate for NJIT women, including recommending specific policy changes to ensure gender equity.

Since its creation, the CWI has developed and successfully advocated for a number of diversity and work/life balance initiatives, including:

• a tenure clock pause option for faculty after the birth or adoption of a child;
• an Active-Service-Modified-Duties Policy under which a faculty member who is the primary caregiver of a newly-born or adopted child can opt to be relieved of service and teaching responsibilities for one semester, without reduction in pay or benefits (…an initiative developed in collaboration with Strategic Taskforce #11, the Murray Center, and NJIT ADVANCE);
• the creation of an NJIT Day Care Center located adjacent to the campus. 

Two CWI members meet regularly with the Day Care Center vendor, the Sarah Ward Nursery, to ensure that the Center continues to address the needs of both NJIT and the local community;

A student team recently redesigned the existing Center playground, as part of a competition sponsored by the NJIT chapter of the Resident Society of Aspiring Architects.

• education and training workshops for parents. 

The Sarah Ward parent company recently funded a CWI grant proposal to provide education and training in parenting for NJIT families, as well as local families.  The first workshop for fall 2007 is a safety talk entitled “Measures to Prevent Your Child from being Kidnapped, Abducted and Exploited.”

For more information on the parenting workshops, contact Lynn Riker at 973-596-3039 (lynn.m.riker@njit.edu).

One of the committee’s main objectives is to support the success of women at NJIT, by increasing opportunities for networking and community building.  As part of this effort, the CWI co-sponsors a number of events each year, including

• a Welcome Breakfast  which introduces new NJIT women employees to their peers;
• a mid-year celebration to raise money for the CWI undergraduate women’s scholarship fund; 
• a spring skills-based workshop on career advancement strategies and resources. 
• brown-bag seminars for women faculty and staff throughout the year on such topics as personal financial management. 

CWI members also serve as mentors, helping new women employees to adjust to their new positions.

In recognition of its work, CWI received the 2007 Constance A. Murray Diversity Award, which is presented to an individual or group that, going beyond the commitment to equality required of each of us at NJIT, has compiled a significant and sustained record of achievement in fostering diversity within the university community. (To find out more about the CWI’s achievements, click here.)

Join the CWI

Meetings are held twice a month.  The Committee membership includes student, faculty, and staff representatives. The CWI welcomes new members who are committed to improving the quality of life for women at NJIT.  Contact Dean Conrad (Conrad@njit.edu) if you are interested in serving on the CWI.