When A.D. White and Ezra Cornell founded Cornell University in 1865, coeducation was practically nonexistent. The university was one of the first in the Northeast to admit women, and later one of the first to have a Women’s Studies Program. Still, women have traditionally been discriminated against in the sciences, which many feel is a “gendered” subject.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education many universities are now encouraging women to become more active as professors and delve into subjects they are interested in, regardless of gender or any other factors that have previously been restrictive forces.

How can universities influence women to become more confident in their roles in the realm of science and engineering? One major way is money. In the past, federal grant programs have been used to pay women on maternity leave. This program commenced to promote female scientists and engineers, which it successfully did. However, there is not an infinite amount of grant money, so colleges such as Virginia Tech have had to find other sources of money to continue the increase of women in the sciences. Otherwise, it is very easy to fall into old habits of not making any effort to make women feel comfortable in certain academic arenas.

The specific grant program that Virginia Tech, for instance, uses is titled “Advance” and is given by the National Science Foundation. The grant is typically given for five years in hopes that the progress made during this period will continue on even when the grant is up. Virginia Tech has opened an advising office for spouses that both work on campus or who would both like to work together on campus. Also, deans have used funds to open a day-care center on campus for women who were unable to devote time to their careers because there were limited day-care options in the rural area. The day-care has reserved slots for children of faculty and other staff members.

The Advance program drives the universities it helps to develop novel ways of ensuring the continued progress of women in the sciences and in engineering after the grant is finished. Although there are money issues as a result of the failing economy, Advance is trying to make female employment at universities a priority, and is helping those universities with financial issues. Of course, the need for money is never really satisfied, but grants can go a long way in helping universities.