Diane Magrane
Director of Executive Leadership Programs

This year's class was extremely fortunate to have Dr. Patricia Cormier deliver its graduation address. I can do no better introducing her than sharing the lovely tribute given by Page Morahan, founding director of ELAM. Dr. Cormier's address was funny, inspiring, and powerful. She began with a story whose author has been forgotten, and whose message is timeless. She took us to a place of gratitude for our privileges, and concern for the women of the world who do not share our rights and privileges. She closed with challenges and a celebration. We closed by awarding her the title of ELAM's first honorary alumna. I share Page Morahan's introduction, and Patty Cormier's address in their entirety here.

I am delighted to introduce Patty Cormier to you for three reasons:

• First, Patty is a superb role model for women's leadership in academia. Very briefly, she entered leadership in the School of Dentistry at University of Pennsylvania, then was in the leadership group at Wilson College, then came to our former institution as VP of Development (under then-president D. Walter Cohen), then provost at Winthrop College, and has just finished over a decade as president of Longwood College in Virginia. Under her tenure it became Longwood University, among many other notable achievements. And Patty is just as busy now in retirement, teaching in a national academic leadership program, and coaching and consulting with numerous schools and individuals.
• Second, ELAM would not be here without Patty. She is the "mother" as Walter Cohen is the "father" of the ELAM program. The concept of a women's leadership program was their idea, back in the early 1990s, as a way to honor the legacy of the first school founded for women physicians. The Female Medical College opened right before the Civil War (1850), then became Woman's Medical College for about 100 years, when it became the co-ed Medical College of Pennsylvania (the last women's medical school to do so) and through several other organizational changes to Drexel University College of Medicine.
• And finally, and more personally to me, Patty has been a mentor since she came to MCP, where I was chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. And, she is responsible for the direction of the past 20 years of my academic career!! She encouraged me to apply for an American Council on Education fellowship (which she had done a decade earlier). And afterward, when I was considering where I might want to focus my career, she offered me the opportunity to design and develop the ELAM program. I wasn't sure I wanted to take on a "woman's thing" – however, my ACE fellowship had really sensitized me and I totally changed my career from basic scientist to faculty and leadership development designer, implementer and social science researcher in 1993!

Thank you, Patty, for all you do to help women in academic leadership, and for all you have given to me.

THE POWER OF CHOICE
ELAM Graduation Presentation
April 27, 2012
by Dr. Patricia P. Cormier
President Emerita
Longwood University

I am so pleased to be with you today to celebrate your graduation. When I helped to initiate the ELAM program in 1995, I could only dream about the success that has been realized. You should be proud to join the almost 700 alumnae of ELAM and know that your hard work over the past year will reap benefits for many years to come.

I decided to begin my presentation to you with a story, which will lead to a discussion about the critical role of women in leadership positions. The story is based within a medieval context – most appropriate since I am married to a medievalist-scholar so the tale comes naturally!

Respect, the power to make our own choices, ethical decision-making, looking beyond the superficial to find the real problem, working as a team – these are desired in our lives both at work and at home, right?

Did you bring your iPad or iPhone or Blackberry today? Did you eat what you wanted for breakfast this morning? Were you able to read the materials distributed for this program? Were you able to decide what clothes to wear today, what car you should drive and how you should get wherever you were going? Were you able to exercise before the sessions today? Did you have to ask anyone for permission to do any of these everyday tasks? No? Then you should be grateful.

We may look at the progress of women in the United States and feel that we are better off than in the past, but we are a minority. The story is different for many women across the world who still have to fight for equality and a voice.

Did you know that 80% of the 50 million people around the world who are affected by violent conflicts, civil wars, disasters, and displacement are women and children? In 76 countries, less than half of the eligible girls are enrolled in secondary school. Women own only 1% of the world's land. The women of the Tiwi tribe in the South Pacific are married at birth.

If a woman in Afghanistan wants to use the internet, she often faces a four hour walk where she must be accompanied by a man. Women are afraid to work out of the home and must post writings anonymously for fear of retribution. Those who write talk about the difficulty of getting an education or being allowed to work, family pressure, and for some, the wearing of the veil. Those who speak out earn death threats, acid on their faces or suspension from their positions. Women are forced into marrying men who will not let them work, study, or even step out of the house. Many Afghan women are curious, ambitious, and creative, but fearful. Women have little chance to be empowered or to make a difference. Recently I read the sad tale in the New York Times of a 10 year-old child who was forcibly abducted by a neighboring family who took retribution for her uncle who assumingly took another man's wife. She was beaten unmercifully for something she did not do and finally escaped, but not from the horror of a lifetime of sadness, with no hope for the future.

We have all been watching the uprisings in the Middle East, Egypt and North Africa, where citizens came together to effect change. Through television coverage, Twitter and Facebook, female stereotypes from these areas were challenged. Muslim women marched with their Islamic brothers, technology opened doors for new voices to be heard, and stories of the male-dominated regimes' attempts to strip women protestors of their dignity did not make them stop their activism.

However, despite the role that women played in Egypt's ouster of President Mubarak, they find that true power still resides in men. Women have fewer than 10 of the 500 seats in the Egyptian parliament. Egyptian forces kidnap or sexually abuse women to pressure the men in their families. Women are symbols of a new Egypt in the media, but are not emboldened to truly take leadership roles. They must rely on the males in their families for protection.

In 2010, Maria Osava, from the Inter Press Service, noted, "When it comes to female education rates, progress has been made around the world, and in many countries girls and young women have outnumbered and outperformed boys and men at all levels of schools for decades. Nevertheless, these advances have yet to translate into greater equity in employment, politics and social relations."

Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, echoed her statement, "We will not see sustainable progress until we fix failures in health systems and society so that girls and women enjoy equal access to health information and services, education, employment, and political positions."

On the positive side, there are women leaders that serve as role models making headlines. The president of Honduras' largest university, Dr. Julieta Castellanos, has taken on the president of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo, the national police and the drug cartels. Her youngest son was murdered by the national police this past October and she is now at the fore of the battle by the public to stand up to the culture of intimidation that has impeded this impoverished nation in its efforts to curtail the extreme violence in the country. She declared: "I am going to continue this fight, even if I lose my life along the way." She is not alone with the support of the people – a taxi driver who said "You are the people's hope," or the waiter who said, " We are with you in your fight."

In 2011, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to three women. Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Leymah Gbowee, a social worker and peace campaigner from the same country, shared the prize with Tawakkul Karman, an activist and journalist who last year played a key opposition role in Yemen.

"I urge my sisters, and my brothers, not to be afraid," Sirleaf said in her Nobel lecture. "Be not afraid to denounce injustice, though you may be outnumbered. Be not afraid to seek peace, even if your voice may be small. Be not afraid to demand peace."

So indeed, we are so fortunate to be living in a country where a woman can be in charge of her own life and make her own choices. Where a woman can be in leadership positions like department head, dean, vice president, or CEO like many of you here today. We need to celebrate our freedom and exercise our talents to demonstrate to the world that America can be the model for women's leadership. We also need to retain and sustain the achievements we have made as women in the United States as they relate to our ability to make choices and decisions that impact our personal lives, particularly as legislators and government officials attempt to compromise our decisions.

What is it going to take to see more women in leadership roles?

We need to offer more opportunities for you to be brave by embracing new ideas from all areas of your organization. Leadership means forging new paths and taking risks. Change requires deliberate action and could benefit all. Future leaders need strong female role models that demonstrate competence, clarity, efficiency, and decisiveness at the highest ethical level. Seeing someone like them in the role they aspire to provides reassurance for women that their goals are attainable.

As those who have conquered the glass ceiling, we must ask ourselves how we can help foster the next generation of female leaders. I know you understand the value of being a mentor; engage your colleagues in programs like this and other professional organizations, and encourage those with promise. You can play a critical role in the development of those who will follow you.

During this time of ever-changing technology and with our lives constantly on the move, it is more important than ever for us to be able to balance our home lives and our work lives. Women in leadership positions can help promote the kinds of family-friendly options in their institutions that entice other outstanding women to join our teams and excel at all levels. With the uncertain economy and rising cost of living, issues like flex schedules and comprehensive health care packages are our responsibility to consider for the betterment of both our institutions and our employees. It is women who gravitate to these vital societal issues.

We should not apologize as women if a woman in a leadership position tends to carry out her duties emphasizing the traditional female qualities of relationship, emotion and ambiance, promoting sharing and process over the traditional male CEO characteristics of systems, rules and "winning." Our institutions will emerge with new values and ethics, grounded in cooperation and community.

Being a leader today requires a great deal of emotional intelligence, focusing on character as well as facts. As women, we must learn how to manage our emotions while not being afraid to show our femininity, demonstrate respect for others while maintaining an air of authority, and empathize while still having to make hard decisions.

Leadership is not about wealth, recognition, power, or prestige; indeed, ultimately it is not about material or worldly things at all. It is about knowing who you are, what your unique gifts are, and applying those gifts. True leadership is, for me, the conscious and unremitting application of a values system, one based on the ancient belief that humankind is responsible for itself, and that each one of us has a responsibility to care for ourselves, for others and to contribute to the greater good of society. When we are entrusted with leadership, we must understand that we are in service to others and demonstrate how ethical leadership is the key to long term success.

Leadership requires learning and challenging that which we believe we know. It comes in all forms and levels. The challenge is striking a delicate balance between the inclination to put others needs before our own and self-fulfillment. Forced choices of work versus home, leader versus follower, and brute strength versus femininity are no longer necessary. Through struggle and creativity, many of you have found a balance that satisfies you. It is possible if we maintain clear priorities and values.

I am often asked why I chose to be a president. The answer is quite simple: I wanted the opportunity to test my own theories about leadership and its effectiveness in leading an institution of higher learning. I had spent many years observing and participating in male-dominated environments and certainly knew what I did not want to do.

Could creating teams characterized by mutual support improve the delivery of instruction and the management of the university? Is it possible to make every employee joyful about coming to work every day? How could I build trust throughout the campus particularly between faculty and the administration? How could I foster a positive view of accountability among all constituencies? Could ongoing, forthright and honest communication be embraced by all members of the campus? How do I build pride in the organization? How could the team demonstrate that civility is the essence of higher education? How does one ensure that ethical behavior is practiced by all in the academy?

I found the answers – five lessons:

1. Model the behavior: Set examples by aligning actions with shared values
2. Inspire a shared vision: Enlist others in a common vision inspired by shared aspirations
3. Challenge the process: Seek innovative ways to change, grow and improve
4. Enable others to act: Demonstrate that collaboration improves performance
5. Encourage the heart: Celebrate values and victories by creating a spirit of community

Fortunately, I was able to answer my questions by employing the five lessons for over 15 years of my presidency and proving that leadership defined by humility and a strong moral compass does work for the betterment of all.

I urge you to remind yourself how fortunate we are that women in this country have free will, unlike so many others across the globe. Like the witch in the story, earn the respect of others and embrace the ability to lead your life the way you choose – and make wise decisions.

 
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