About

The Butler Center organizes two annual conferences targeting assistant and associate professors to ensure they advance in their careers. Such advancement can open opportunities for women to move into leadership roles.

Started in fall 2010 with the goal to invest in women and provide them with the information and strategies they need to succeed, the Conference for Assistant Professors (earlier called Conference for Pre-Tenure Women) aims to ensure the tenure and promotion of women faculty which is essential for retention and building leadership capacities. The annual conference brings female – and male – faculty, especially assistant professors, from across the country together on Purdue's campus to discuss, share information, learn strategies, and meet with others in an effort to especially raise women's success in earning tenure. The conference also offers participants a variety of significant networking opportunities with peers and leaders in academic administration. The conference has drawn nearly 400 participants from some 40 different institutions representing major disciplines and many professional schools and colleges.

An annual Conference for Associate Professors was created in spring 2019 in an effort to strategically invest in women to help them maintain momentum and advance to full professorships, and eventually to leadership positions.