The Associated Press
PULLMAN — Only one in 14 academic leaders at Washington State University is a woman, and women make up only 21 percent of tenured faculty and 11 percent of full professors.
But those numbers are an improvement over previous years, according to a report released by the university this week.
Women students at WSU outperform men academically, the report found.
"They graduate at higher rates, have better grade point averages and win more scholarships," said Kathy Zeches, a member of the school’s Commission on the Status of Women. "This is a good place for women students."
The average grade point for women on the Pullman campus was 2.99 out of a possible 4.0, compared with 2.71 for men.
Among the report’s findings:
"We need to focus on sexual harassment," Zeches said. "Individuals should get more comfortable presenting those concerns."
The university is currently dealing with three active gender-harassment lawsuits.
Former WSU president Glenn Terrell appointed the commission in 1971 to determine if women were treated, promoted and paid the same as their male counterparts. Since 1990, the commission has issued reports every five years.
"We, as always, have a long way to go," said WSU’s current president, V. Lane Rawlins, as he presented the report Wednesday.
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