Date: Thu, 04 Mar 1999 08:29:20 -0500 (EST)
Subject: CSWA Newsletter of 3/3/99
To: AASMAIL:;;
wellesley.edu
AAS Committee on the Status of Women
weekly issues of 3/3/99, ed. by Priscilla Benson
*** send email and addresses to aaswomenwellesley.edu ***
This week's issues:
1. Women's salaries
2. More on the Glass Ceiling
3. NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows
4. Wesleyan Masters Prog
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1. Women's salaries
From: Papers papersjabiru.pa.msu.edu
Just a difference of opinion on Beth's thesis that
publishing salary info leads to more equity.
The experience here is that:
1. Salarys are published - yes
2. The published differential between top Full prof salary
and lowest assistant prof salary is about 100% (or 130% if
one adds in summer salary - which some get automatically and
others do not). The published differential between top Full
prof salary and MEDIAN full prof salary is about 90% (or 10%
if one adds in summer salary).
3. So far as I can determine the performance difference
between "top" and "median" (for the Full prof rank where
there is sufficient data) is AT MOST 25%. The rest is
"politics." (In fact since astronomers in our physics dept
are consistently below the median I can't even compare the
people I know the best - so my biases here are probably
pretty uniform).
4. The published data leads to whining, backbiting and more
politics so people can "do better" by tearing other people
down.
What is the experience of people in state systems where
salary is set by rank without these large variances?
Sue Simkin
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2. NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows
From: "Wright, James P." jwrightnsf.gov
There is a new NSF program for NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows
in K-12 Education. There was discussion of something like
this in astronomy but apparently others thought it was a
good idea and there is now an NSF wide program.
There is a Dear Colleague Letter at
"http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nst9976/nsf9976.htm".
The program announcement is at
"http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9975/nsf9975.htm"
James P. Wright
Program Director
Education and Human Resources and Special Programs
Division of Astronomical Sciences Room 1045
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22230
Telephone 703-306-1819, E-mail jwrightnsf.gov
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3. Wesleyan Masters Prog
From: IN%"billelysium.astro.wesleyan.edu"
The Astronomy Department at Wesleyan University offers a
course of study leading to an M. A. degree. It includes
physics, math and astronomy courses tailored to the needs of
the individual, as well as a Master's Thesis. We are
particularly interested in promising students who, often
owing to a late start with physics, find themselves
unprepared for admission to astronomy Ph.D. programs.
Students who want additional background in astronomy to
support a career in secondary school teaching, public
education, or research support, may also benefit from our
program. We encourage applications from members of
underrepresented populations in the physical sciences. The
current faculty members and their research interests are:
William Herbst (star formation, T Tauri stars); John Salzer
(active galaxies, cosmology) and Ata Sarajedini (globular
clusters, galaxy formation). A search for a fourth faculty
member is underway. In addition, Caryl Gronwall (galaxy
evolution) is a postdoctoral fellow, Vicki Sarajedini
(quasars, active galaxies) is a Visiting Scholar and Eric
Williams (extra-solar planets) is the Systems and Facilities
Manager. The department is well equipped for instruction
and research. Facilities include a network of Sun
workstations, PC's and Mac's, a CCD attached to a 24-inch
reflector, a 20-inch refractor equipped for astrometric
work, and the substantial astronomical library of the Van
Vleck Observatory. The deadline for applications is April
1. Graduate teaching and research assistantships may be
available. Further information and application materials may
be obtained by contacting the department secretary at 203-
685-2130, sending e-mail to wherbstwesleyan.edu, or
visiting the department's HomePage at
http://www.astro.wesleyan.edu.
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End of CSWA Newsletter of 3/3/99