The statement approved by the leaders of the nine universities is as follows.
Institutions of higher education have an obligation, both for themselves and for the nation, to fully develop and utilize all the creative talent available. We recognize that barriers still exist to the full participation of women in science and engineering. To address this issue, we have agreed to work within our institutions toward:
1. A faculty whose diversity reflects that of the students we educate. This goal will be pursued in part by monitoring data and sharing results annually.
2. Equity for, and full participation by, women faculty. This goal will be pursued in part by periodic analysis of data concerning compensation and the distribution of resources to faculty. Senior women faculty should be significantly involved in this analysis.
3. A profession and institutions in which individuals with family responsibilities are not disadvantaged.
"We recognize that this challenge will require significant review of, and potentially significant change in, the procedures within each university, and the scientific and engineering establishment as a whole.
We will reconvene to share the specific initiatives we have undertaken to achieve these objectives.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on January 31, 2001.
