Prof. Wendy Williams, human development, and Prof. Stephen Ceci, the Helen L. Carr Professor of Developmental Psychology, have received a $1.4 million grant over four years from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to establish the Cornell Institute for Women in Science (CIWS). The grant will also fund a series of studies about gender bias and the underrepresentation of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Few Americans were aware of sex discrimination in the 1950s, and even now, not many have fully grasped its scope in society, both in our country and beyond, according to Sonia Pressman Fuentes ’50. Fuentes, a feminist, lawyer and author spoke at Myron Taylor Hall yesterday about her experience fighting against sex discrimination. She was the first female attorney for the Office of the General Counsel at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and co-founder of the National Organization of Women.

To the Editor:

Re: “An Update on Gender Equality,” Opinion, March 9

President Skorton deserves our praise and recognition for his attention to the issues surrounding gender. He emphasizes both the student body and the faculty as areas in which improvement in gender equality can, and indeed will, advance in the coming years. However, I have significant concerns with the framing of the article, as the author paints a rosy picture of the successes of gender equality at Cornell, while undermining the needed focus on the failures we still face as a community.

To the Editor:

Re: “Strings Attached,” Comics, March 4

Exactly 100 years ago 15,000 women marched through the streets of New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and voting rights. They were a group of individuals tired of being discriminated against due to their gender and undermined solely because they were women. That day in 1908 now continues to be acknowledged as International Women’s Day on March 8th around the world.

Diversity has been a defining characteristic of our University since its founding, a critical factor in its success and is a personal priority. If we are to continue to lead, we must continue to seek and nurture exceptional talent without regard to gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or other characteristics that too often divide us.

I am concerned, however, about our progress in a number of areas, including three related to the status of women at our University: the representation of women in specific areas of the student body, the representation of women on the faculty and the representation of women in senior leadership positions.