MA in Women and Management in Higher Education
This Master's degree programme at the Institute of Education, University of London, was the fruit of collaborative planning initiated by those involved in the (then) ACU/CHESS Women's Programme. The programme of study was designed for individuals who wanted to:
It was aimed at ambitious, motivated applicants with at least a second class Honours degree or equivalent professional qualifications, who had a minimum of two years' professional experience and the potential to make a significant contribution in the field of higher education management.
The programme ran for four years (from 1997 to 2001), with four students in each cohort from ACU member universities in countries as diverse as Guyana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Trinidad. Fifteen went through the MA course with financial support from the ACU and one on a Chevening scholarship. At least three of the sixteen women are known to have gone on successfully to undertake doctoral research in areas related to gender and higher education; and one of those three, who has maintained a close relationship with the ACU's Gender Programme since her MA studies, is now a Professor in a member university in Kenya.
After the four cohorts, it was concluded by the ACU Council that the funding of students on this MA programme could no longer be sustained by the ACU.
Pacific Charter for Women Managers in Higher Education
The University of the South Pacific Council adopted the Pacific Charter for Women Managers in Higher Education on 21 October 1996. This represents a major initiative by the Pacific women and a landmark charter to ensure gender equity in higher education in the Pacific.
Principles
The Charter was based on the principles of:
The Charter
Three-way exchange project
Between December 1995 and April 1996, a three-way exchange project took place which enabled three women academics representing the University of Adelaide, the University of the West Indies and SNDT Women's University (Bombay) to carry out two-week study visits at each other's institutions. The women were looking in particular at the teaching of gender studies and at ways in which networks could be developed between each university to their mutual benefits. The project was financed by a US$25,000 grant received from UNESCO. Contact with the participants ten years later revealed that this project had led to long-term strengthening of inter-regional links, the ongoing sharing of information and expertise and the enrichment of their collaborative research and research output.