Founded in 1871 as the first chartered Catholic college for women in Ohio, Ursuline College is renowned for being at the forefront of helping students find their voice and vocation. Throughout the years, graduates have become leaders in fields ranging from nursing and education to engineering and law.
As the Pepper Pike college celebrates its sesquicentennial — and the country begins to emerge from the dark shadows left by the pandemic — that resolution remains steadfast. Ursuline’s new Institute for Women, Wellness and Work is designed to support women by providing resources to help them advance their careers, maximize their leadership expertise and lead a healthier lifestyle.
“One of the focus areas of our [current] strategic plan has been women’s leadership,” says Ursuline College President Sister Christine De Vinne. “In 2020, we asked ourselves, ‘Out of this 150-year-old history, what is it that we should be doing right now for women in the 21st century?’ This is the kind of academic-philosophical-but-very-practical discussion we have often. It’s so embedded in who we are and what we do.”
Conversations college staff conducted with its students provided a clear indication of what many Northeast Ohio women are seeking: education that supports the goals they have in ways that are accessible, challenges them in new or different ways and supports equity and equality for everyone.
“We’re in the business of education and granting degrees,” De Vinne says. “We know that some women want a full degree — we have 20 undergraduate majors we can offer them. We know that some of them would like a post-baccalaureate, master’s or even doctoral degree, and we offer those, too. But we also recognize — especially today — that some women don’t have time for, don’t want or don’t need a full degree. They’re looking for ‘microcredentials’ and recognized qualifications that denote they’re turning in a new direction or ready for advancement in their current role or in a new role.”
Launched last year, Ursuline’s Institute for Women, Wellness and Work fulfills those objectives. Designed with multitaskers, caregivers, leaders, community builders and entrepreneurs in mind, the institute offers learning options ranging from self-paced lessons to online workshops. Many resources are either free or accessible for an annual $5 subscription.
The syllabus includes online women’s leadership courses in leveraging strength, diversity and ethical decision-making. Women’s work business fundamentals explore topics focusing on developing a business plan and idea, as well as risk and talent management. Women’s wellness options feature lessons in unleashing creative powers, living longer by discovering the medicinal powers of food and a healthy diet and careers for every age and stage of life.
Microcredentials can also be earned in athletic coaching and performance training.
Ursuline’s new online integrative wellness studies master’s program prepares graduates to advance their career by learning about the holistic approaches to well-being essential in growing professions including fitness, patient care, public health, counseling, research and education.
Denise Reading, CEO of LDR Worldwide and Future Plans in Chagrin Falls, believes Ursuline’s new institute is debuting when it’s needed most.
“Before COVID-19 hit, we were experiencing what I call the Dawn of the Woman,” says Reading, who’s playing an integral role in developing the Women, Wellness and Work curriculum. “We were making the buying decisions, we were making the health care decisions, we were moving into more political and leadership roles — we were even getting closer to pay equity.”
COVID-19 derailed that momentum.Reading shares data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau and Federal Reserve citing that working mothers in states with early stay-at-home orders and school closures were 68.8% more likely to take leave from their jobs than working mothers in states where closures happened later. In the U.S., approximately one in five (19.6%) of working-age adults said the reason they are not working is because COVID-19 disrupted their childcare arrangements.
Of those not employed, women ages 25 to 44 are almost three times as likely as men to not be working because of childcare concerns. About one in three (32.1%) have been affected by this issue compared to 12.1% of men in the same age group. Many parents who kept their jobs during stay-at-home orders have also been faced with limited options, such as taking paid or unpaid time off or resigning or adjusting work hours to evenings and weekends.
“Now, women at all levels from the C-suite to mid-level to the front lines have been impacted,” Reading says. “Suddenly, you may have lost your job. Or, you’re doing two-and-a-half jobs — including teaching your kids and caring for an elderly parent or aunt — while trying to stay on top of your day job.”
“Women are being stretched in so many stressful directions,” she adds. “Ursuline is known for helping women at all levels of the socioeconomic scale. The time had come to step forward in a new way.”
Brooke Scharlott, Ursuline College’s executive director of professional development and degree completion, is encouraged by the comments Women, Wellness and Work students have made. One student said, “I love the Mentor Moment series. … Good advice and thoughtful ideas. … The fact that the [Institute] is not only looking at the work and career aspect for women, but also at the overall wellness is very promising. I applaud that. … I took away learning and action that I can continue to apply to my work-life balance. … I enjoyed my experience. It was a meaningful opportunity to engage in during time at home due to COVID-19. … I believe many mothers and leaders are struggling. It was nice to see that brought out into the open.”
“Women are the ones who often put their lives on hold to take care of everything and everyone else,” Scharlott says. “Whether they’re 20 or 90, the institute will help them find ways to stay active throughout their lives and contribute to our community in ways they are passionate about.”