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Two women from different parts of the world share the stories of their lives

Two women from different parts of the world, united by a common passion, experience or expertise, share the stories of their lives.

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The Conversation: Women Shaking Up Universities

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University leaders L Cecilia Paredes Verduga (credit: Jose Javier Roldos) & R Ana Mari Cauce (credit: University of Washington)

Women Shaking Up Universities

BBC World Service - The Conversation, Women Shaking Up Universities

Two women who are the first to lead their universities in the US and in Ecuador

Two women who are the first to lead their universities in the US and in Ecuador.

What difference does it make when women run universities? There are many higher education leaders who champion the idea of diversity, but few of them truly embody it, so the view from the top is still largely pale and male. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who are shaking things up in their institutions in the United States and Ecuador.

Ana Mari Cauce is the first woman, the first Latina and the first openly gay president of the University of Washington in Seattle, US. She says it’s important to remember that universities began as monastic institutions built with men in mind, and she often finds that they still struggle to adapt to the presence of women.

Cecilia Paredes Verduga is the first female Rector of the highest-ranking public university in Ecuador, ESPOL (Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral). With a background in the male-dominated field of engineering and in a country with a culture of machismo, Cecilia feels it's important to be herself in the role and to say things as they are.

L Cecilia Paredes Verduga (credit: Jose Javier Roldos)
R Ana Mari Cauce (credit: University of Washington)

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