Mixed Findings on the Status of Women in Business

Women are enjoying greater opportunities in general in the world of business, but the same cannot be said when it comes to their representation in executive positions at Fortune 500 companies,
according to an annual census conducted by Catalyst (www.catalyst-women.org ), a nonprofit research and advocacy organization for women. Here are some of the results from the survey:

• In 2008, women held 15.7 percent of corporate officer positions-a slight increase from 2007.

• Women held 6.2 percent of top-paying positions-a decrease of .05 percent from 2007.

•  Sixty-six companies did not have a single woman board director-an increase of seven companies since 2007.

•  Only 3.2 percent of board director positions were held by women of color. Only 4 percent of companies had two women of color directors serving together.

"No change in a year of change is unacceptable - for business, for investors, for policy makers, and for the public which looks to busi­ness leadership for innovative solutions and accountability," said Ilene H. Lang, president and chief executive officer of Catalyst in a press release. "Smart organizations will seize this opportunity to create credible, 21st century leadership that looks like the future, and bring women, including women of color, front and center into their leadership-on boards and in senior management. "

Sustainability Coordinators in Demand

A growing awareness of the importance of preserving the environment, along with a governor's request for all state agencies to adopt more sus­tainable practices, led die University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to create the position of sustainability coordinator. Sustainability coordi­nators act as liaisons between the academic administrator's office, facilities department, and the student community regarding all sus­tainability practices at colleges and universities. Other schools have also seen the need to establish the sustainability coordinator posi­tion, or at some institutions, an entire department devoted to sus­tainability practices and projects. Yale University, the University of Florida, and the University of California-Berkeley are just a few of the colleges that have sustainability departments.

Sustainability coordinators are often recent college graduates who were passionate advocates for sustainability practices while in school (In fact, many of these students were the prime movers for the creation of the position at their institution in the first place.) Sustainability coordinators' duties include coordinating informa­tion-sharing among campus departments; creating methods for tracking the amount of energy, water, and other resources used on campus; identifying and addressing wasteful usage; designing and implementing recycling programs; and educating students and fac­ulty regarding the importance of sustainability projects.

The average annual salary for sustainability coordinators is about $30,000, with plenty of room for salary increases and career advancement. However the biggest reward for coordina­tors may not be financial or promotion, but rather the belief that they are helping their school to become a more sustainable-and ecofriendly-place.

For more information on this career, contact the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), 213'/2 North Limestone, Lexington, KY 40507, 859/258-2551, www.aashe.org.
(AASHE, www.aashe.org; Chronicle of Higher Education)

Upcoming Meetings

• WIB Executive Committee Meeting: Thursday August 20th 8:00am WIB Office
• YC Executive Committee Meeting: Tuesday August 25th 9:00am WIB Office
• WIB Planning Evaluation Committee Meeting: Wednesday September 9th 1:30pm WIB Office
• WIB Executive Committee Meeting: Thursday September 10th 8:00am WIB Office
• YC Graduation Rate Committee Meeting: Monday September 14th 10:00am WIB Office
• WIB Board of Directors Meeting: Tuesday September 22nd 8:00am Career Opportunities