THE podcast: an interview with Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth

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In this episode, we discuss a rare creature: the female higher education leader. 

Indeed, according to the American Council on Education’s most recent American College President Study, women remain outnumbered by men in college presidency by a ratio of 2:1, with about 33 per cent of presidencies held by women.

Women in higher education are also more likely to work a part-time or reduced schedule or postpone a job search or promotion to care for minor dependants.

We’d be hard pressed to find a better person to speak to about female leadership in higher education than Sian Beilock, an award-winning cognitive scientist and an expert on performing under pressure. She is also the 19th president of Dartmouth and the first woman to be elected to the position in the institution’s 250-year history.

Sian speaks about navigating failure and dealing with anxiety on the job. She also gives helpful advice on how to turn imposter syndrome into something positive and shares her personal experience of female leadership, a journey that began with working in the provost office at the University of Chicago before serving as president of Barnard College at Columbia University and then moving to Dartmouth in 2023. 

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See our International Women’s Day spotlight for more advice and resources from women leaders in higher education.