Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia (Utah State University Press, 2012) provided a window into the working lives of female faculty of color in a variety of academic disciplines.  

Inspired by the enthusiastic response to the first volume, the editors have produced a second volume titled Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power, and Resistance of Women in Academia (2020). 

Drawing upon the personal narratives and empirical studies in the latest volume, this webinar examines how the experiences of women of color in academia have changed since the first volume. It explores the obstacles that women of color encounter on the road to tenure, promotion, and academic leadership as well as the strategies that women of color have deployed to succeed. The webinar also includes topics that were relatively under-explored in the first volume, including the challenges faced by women of color in leadership positions, barriers and opportunities for mid-level academics, and the health impacts of battling bias in the academic workplace. The webinar will be of interest to women of color, men of color, academic leaders, and members of other underrepresented groups who seek to achieve greater equity and inclusion in U.S. colleges and universities.

Facilitator Bio

Carmen Gonzalez, JD is the Morris I. Leibman Professor of Law at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Her scholarship focuses on international environmental law, environmental justice, human rights and the environment, and food security. She also writes on issues on race, gender, and class, and is co-editor of the critically acclaimed book, Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia (2012) and most recently Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power, and Resistance of Women in Academia (2020).
Professor Gonzalez is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School. She practiced law in the private sector and in government for a decade before commencing her academic career. Professor Gonzalez has served as a Fellow at the U.S. Supreme Court, a Fulbright scholar in Argentina, a Visiting Scholar at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, and the George Soros Visiting Chair at the Central European University School of Public Policy. She has taught law in Latin America, China, and Europe, and has served as an advisor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on environmental justice matters.

Free Individual Memberships for the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD)

Available to all Cornell students, postdocs, faculty, and staff

Cornell is an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD), a nationally recognized, independent organization providing online career development and mentoring resources. The NCFDD provides members with access to tools to increase research and writing productivity and improve work-life balance.  

Activate your account by following the steps below:

1. Go to the NCFDD website
2. Under “Select Your Institution,” choose “Cornell University”
3. Select “Activate my Membership”
4. Complete the registration form using your Cornell email address
5. Check your Cornell email account to find a confirmation/welcome email. Click “Activate Account” in the email