Olkin called Harvill in February and invited her to Stanford this summer to participate in a mentoring program for female and minority tenure-track teachers. Her salary and travel, he told her, would be covered by a National Science Foundation grant. For Harvill, it was a dream come true. At home she is often swamped with administrative work that leaves her little time for the kind of research and resume building that impresses tenure committees. A summer at Stanford offers her the chance to work on projects and meet informally with top people in the field, many of whom teach at Stanford or are visiting for the summer.
Participants also benefit from a rich menu of seminars the department offers.
For Olkin, who receives no money from the NSF grant for which the university waives the overhead bringing women and minorities to campus is a practical way to give them a boost when their tenure is considered. Time spent at Stanford during the summer can result in articles and letters of recommendation that prove invaluable when the participants' tenure is considered. It's the kind of networking that just can't be done at the more isolated schools from which most of them come. Olkin says the program, now 10 years old, is a drop in the bucket, but at least it's a start in addressing practical ways to bring more women and minorities into the field. Five are on campus this summer.