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By Greg Marshall The Daily Northwestern
You can tell a lot about a woman by how she enters the room. But the 200 freshmen in Michele Weldon's newswriting course rarely see her do it.
By the time most students stroll into class, Weldon already has taken her place on stage and stacked several piles of handouts at her feet. Maybe this is why so many students each quarter comment on her boots.
Another reason might be that students in the most prestigious journalism school in the country are not used to being taught by a female professor.
Weldon is the only tenure-track woman on the journalism faculty at Northwestern. She is one of 13 women on Medill's permanent teaching staff, where women account for about three out of every 10 professors.
"You are wearing the uniform," Weldon said, "but it is their team, their field. You asked to be on the team and it's a great team to be on. But you have to work very hard."
Weldon started seeking tenure in 2004. Today, she is three years away from being considered for this most coveted university position. Academic tenure encourages scholarship and gives professors the job security and clout to speak out.
Women and minorities are underrepresented in academia. This year, without a search process, Northwestern named a new dean and awarded three endowed chairs to Medill professors; all four were white men.
Three tenured women currently serve on the journalism faculty. Donna Leff is the only female tenured professor on the editorial side of Medill.
"If you make it possible for women to succeed, they will," said Leff, who has taught under six different deans in her nearly 30 years of working at the school. "Women can do it, but a lot depends on the flexibility and friendliness of the institution."
One reason Medill has not hired more women is because of how it chooses candidates, said Richard Roth, a senior associate dean at the school. "Our people come out of the top end of the journalism business. If you look at the industry, there are not too many women in top positions."
To his credit, Dean John Lavine, has shown a commitment to hiring minorities. He brought Mary Nesbitt to Medill as an associate dean, and the only full-time professor he has hired to date is a black woman.
Lavine has an historic opportunity to deepen the meaning of diversity at Medill. By the end of this year, 16 faculty members will be over the age of 60. Every one of them is a man.
If the dean fills future vacancies with women, Weldon's first impression on students will not be about her boots but what she stands for as a knowledgeable professor at a prestigious university.
Medill senior Greg Marshall can be reached at g-marshall@northwestern.edu.
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