By Kristal Kinloch-Taylor

In April, the ODU Women's Caucus will host a 50th anniversary celebration. As the oldest center of its kind in the Commonwealth, the Caucus continues to support actively the ODU community. The Women's Caucus is an organization whose mission is to promote the welfare of women throughout Old ֱ University. Originally called the Faculty Women's Caucus, the name was changed to reflect the support of both administrators and faculty. Dr. Carolyn Rhodes, who passed away in 2019, played a pivotal role in the formation of the Caucus in 1974. Dr. Rhodes, began to identify as a feminist after coming to ODU, and she served as president of the Caucus from 1976 to 1977. She said at the time, "I'm not a radical; all I want is equality.” She remained involved in the Caucus even after her retirement in 1990.  

The Caucus' early goals included

  • Equal status with men
  • Establishment of the Women's Center
  • Expansion of the AA/EEOC office
  • Establishment of a Women's Studies Program
  • Availability of day care

Surveys, both inside and outside the classroom, are effective tools for gathering information and implementing change. In April 1974 the ODU Faculty Women's Caucus conducted an attitudinal survey of the campus. With 51 respondents, this document provided insight into the university climate and served as a catalyst for change. Divided into 10 sections, the survey questions focused on salary, promotion, tenure, teaching load, teaching evaluations, publications, committee service, committees, and freedom and dignity. Survey respondents identified salary as a significant concern. When asked if they believed they were paid comparably to men in their department, 23 responded no, 12 responded yes, and 15 were undecided. Similar disparities were found in pay equity across the university.

With a passion for equality, the Faculty Women's Caucus fought for changes that greatly influenced ODU in the 20th century and continue to resonate today. Thanks to the assistance of the University Archives, a piece of history is included here.

Fifty years later, the Caucus continues to find ways to support the ODU community through mentorship and career development. Events are designed to assist and support both administrators and faculty. To highlight the Caucus and its many contributions to the campus, the Center for Faculty Development conducted an interview with the Women's Caucus Executive Board.

How does the Women’s Caucus ensure the continued recognition and celebration of women’s special contributions in 2024?

Each year, the Old ֱ University Women’s Caucus honors a ֱ for her contributions to the advancement of women at the University. We are looking for nominations for those who have focused on issues, policies, and activities of particular relevance to women.  Examples include (but are not limited to) promoting family-friendly policies, the existence of child care on campus, and hiring for diversity. In fact, nominations are currently being sought for our 2024 honoree.  The nominee need not be a current member of the Women’s Caucus.  All nominations must be received by Friday, April 5, 2024.  Visit this link to submit a nomination:

On April 10, 2024 the UWC is hosting a 50th Anniversary Kick-off in conjunction with the Perry Library to highlight the work and accomplishments of women and the Caucus across campus over the last 50 years.

How can the ODU community contribute to and bolster the initiatives and efforts of the Women’s Caucus?

We encourage women faculty and administrators to attend one of our events, join the caucus, mentor a female colleague, and look for opportunities to mentor or advocate for others.  The caucus also has several women’s connections groups that are meant to enhance networking and advocacy amongst smaller interest groups. Current women’s connections groups include:

  • Women Raising Children
  • International Women
  • Women of Color
  • Women Living with Disabilities
  • Solo Aging Support System – Why Not? (SASSY)
  • FULLy Supported (for women full professors)

We encourage everyone to be good allies of their female colleagues and to learn more about the Caucus and our various connections groups.  Please let the Caucus know about issues or problems on campus that affect women as a whole. You can find contact information for the Caucus’s current officers, as well as a list of executive board members, on the .

Earlier in the month, the Women’s Caucus recently hosted Career Success Workshops tailored for A/P and Tenure-Track Faculty. How did these events reflect the Caucus’s goal?

The University Women's Caucus, formed in 1974, is an organization of women whose concerns include actively advancing the welfare of women throughout Old ֱ University. Specifically, the Caucus aids affirmative-action efforts to recruit and retain women and lobbies for equal treatment in salary, rank, tenure, promotion, research leave, and responsibilities. The Caucus sponsors workshops and presentations on a wide variety of topics for personal and professional development and provides a forum to discuss policies and decisions affecting women on campus.

The Career Success Workshops are among our most important annual events in support of mentoring, networking opportunities and informative programs, as well as promoting equal opportunity and affirmative action in promotion, tenure, and professional development.  This year, the Career Success Workshops brought together over fifty faculty and faculty administrators for important professional development opportunities.

How does the Women’s Caucus address the issue of pay disparities particularly considering the ongoing gender pay gap in the US and the discrepancies between the salaries of women and their male counterparts?

There are two ways the UWC has been involved on campus in pay disparities by gender. First, one of the key factors in the development of the UWC’s creation in 1974 centered around concerns about salary equity. The advocacy of the UWC around those concerns led to the creation at the university of a regular process for salary equity review to uncover differentials in salary by gender and race. Second, since that time, the UWC has participated in the University’s annual salary equity review process along with other groups such as the Coalition of Black Faculty and Administrators. We are proud to note that since the establishment of the process for annual review of salary equity there has been only one year, 2023, that the university did not allow for a salary equity review process. We are happy to note, however, that the review is back this year and we are looking forward to participating in that review.   

Learn more about the Women's Caucus 50th Anniversary Kick-Off Celebration .

For more on Carolyn Rhodes, see the article .