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Study shows gender wage gap exists among CEO board directors

Two Black women talk together

Do organizations truly value more diverse boards of directors? A new study suggests many firms may only be paying lip service to the importance of diversity and increasing board diversity in superficial ways.

A new paper in the journal Human Resource Management explores whether external pressures to diversify boards lead organizations to devalue the board memberships held by female CEOs relative to male CEOs and, as a result, pay female CEOs less for these roles. After an exhaustive examination of numerous corporate boards during a period spanning more than a decade, researchers found that companies that engage in token female representation tend to pay female CEO directors less than their male counterparts.

Winny Shen
Winny Shen

Schulich School of Business organization studies Professor Winny Shen and her collaborators, Shavin Malhotra from the University of Waterloo, and PengCheng Zhu from the University of San Diego, examined the relationships between CEO gender, board memberships, and pay in S&P 1500 firms from 2007 to 2019. After controlling for a number of potential alternative explanations, they found that female CEOs receive less compensation for being directors than male CEOs.

Unexpectedly, this gap in compensation was most apparent in organizations that had boards with greater female representation. The study also revealed that this gender pay gap disappeared when female board directors chaired more important and powerful committees.

“Our study points to the importance of moving beyond mere presence to ensuring women have power on boards,” says Shen. “We need to make sure that organizations are not inviting women to be on boards simply to be symbols or tokens. This seems to create a vicious cycle where others assume that female CEOs, who are also directors, should not be rewarded for engaging in these roles because they are not there legitimately, thereby reinforcing gender inequality in the workplace.”

The paper’s findings are published in the article, “A vicious cycle of symbolic tokenism: The gendered effects of external board memberships on chief executive officer compensation.”

Compelling content across communication platforms earns York Communications & Public Affairs eight awards

A cropped image of the cover of the summer 2020 York University Magazine

York University is creating content that matters and has earned eight prestigious awards in recognition of the high-quality work produced by Communications & Public Affairs (C&PA).

The awards – four gold from the Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA) and four (one gold, two silver and one bronze) from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District II Accolades Awards – highlight York’s rich storytelling and innovative concepts that bring its distinctive brand to life.

The University is recognized as a leader in engaging audiences in meaningful and compelling ways through The York University Magazine, in digital communications, social media and video.

“Our communication strategies and products constantly evolve to align with the needs and interests of our audiences,” says Susan Webb, chief communications and marketing officer, C&PA. “I am proud to see a wide range of initiatives recognized externally as best in class – this underscores that our efforts are working.”

COPA Awards

On Feb. 4, The York University Magazine earned four gold medals at the 2020 Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA), including Best Publication in the Best of Canada division.

The York University Magazine Summer 2020 cover featuring Jason Cyrus
The York University Magazine Summer 2020 cover

COPA is recognized as the premier digital publishing awards program in the country and highlights outstanding achievements in Canada’s digital media landscape.

The York University Magazine was nominated for five awards in four categories in the Academic division, winning gold in three – Best Print and Digital Magazine; Best Photojournalism; and Best Website. The magazine also took the top award for Best Publication in the Best of Canada division, a prize granted by judges based on the publication’s overall success.

Deirdre Kelly, editor of The York University Magazine, is thrilled the magazine is being recognized across the industry.

“Art director James Nixon, publisher Rod Thornton and I comprise a small team,” she says, “but we’ve managed to pull off something big. Four golds in one night is an accomplishment not just for us, but for the University at large. It says to all of Canada that what we’re doing here at York is top level.”

The magazine was recognized by COPA CEO Marty Seto, who said, “In the Best of Canada portion of the COPAs, The York University Magazine was awarded Best Publication as compared to all the other entries in the Business and Consumer divisions – that is a COPA first.”

The magazine is produced on behalf of York University’s Office of Alumni Engagement. You can subscribe here: https://magazine.yorku.ca.

CASE Accolades Awards

Four awards from the CASE District II Accolades Awards on Jan. 20 recognize the creative and engaging work from C&PA in 2020.

“The awards shine a spotlight on the University’s inspiring stories and expertise in digital content creation in the categories of: Digital Communications; Social Media; Events; and News & Research Video. This is quite an accomplishment with competitors from local and U.S. universities in the mid-Atlantic district,” says Robin Edmison, director, University Brand and Marketing.

The awards include:

People of YU screen capture from the website
The #PeopleofYU campaign earned a gold and a bronze award

#PeopleofYU – Gold in the Marketing category, Marketing on a Shoestring; and Bronze in the Digital Communications category, Social Media. The #PeopleofYU campaign was inspired by the viral sensation “Humans of New York,” which was adapted to fit York University. It featured bi-weekly profiles of exceptional York community members through photo, video and storytelling.

York Community Holiday Skate – Silver in the Special Event category, Event on a Shoestring. The York Community Holiday Skate was a celebratory year-end event in 2019 that brought the University community together for a two-hour free skate. Skaters also gave back to the community with a collection of non-perishable food donations for the local food bank. Watch the video for a recap of this celebration.

York U Research Hubs – Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) – Bronze in the Video category for News & Research Videos. This is one of three videos in a series featuring different York University Research Hubs. It introduces the VISTA collaborative and interdisciplinary research program which integrates vision science with computer vision to drive innovation in real-world applications. Watch the video here.

“I want to congratulate and thank the C&PA team for always setting a high bar and for being so passionate about telling stories of York’s positive impact. I have a feeling we will see more awards this year!” says Webb.

By Ashley Goodfellow Craig, deputy editor, YFile

The Annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture will consider climate change, education and COVID-19

Image shows a hand holding a pine cone against a lush backdrop of greenery

Photo by Singkham from PexelsA panel of experts will consider the role of education and the implications of COVID-19 on our understanding of climate change during the Annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture on Feb. 23. The lecture is presented by Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF). The lecture was developed in memory of the late York Professor Emeritus David Bell and presented for the first time in 2018. Bell was Chair of the Board of Directors of LSF and an integral part of LSF for more than 22 years.

Due to the pandemic, the 2021 Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture will be delivered online. This year’s event will take the form of a panel involving four community leaders, each with a unique perspective on the role of education in understanding climate change. Participating in this year’s event are Lakehead University Professor Ellen Field, Patricia Fuller, Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change, Cedric Gray-Lehoux, co-Chair of the Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council, and Barbara Zvan, president and CEO of the University Pension Plan Ontario.

Each of the panelists will reflect on three central questions related to education and climate change that have been posed to them by LSF. The questions are: How is Canada responding to the gaps identified in the research for formal and public climate change education? What lessons can be taken from society’s response to COVID-19 to address climate change education? And, what examples have each of the panelists seen that offer hope around climate change and education?

Field, a leading researcher on the “Canada, Climate Change and Education Report” will present the findings in the report and reflect on the perspective of teachers and education faculty course directors. Fuller will address the three central questions from the perspective of the federal government. Gray-Lehoux will reflect on the questions from the perspective of Indigenous youth. Zvan, who is also a member of Canada’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance, will reflect on the questions below from the perspective of business.

To register visit for this event, visit https://lsf-lst.ca/en/projects/key-themes-in-sustainability-education/dvjbelllecture. The deadline to register is Friday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m. EST.

About the Annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture

Before his untimely death on Jan. 10, 2017, Professor Emeritus David Bell had a long and accomplished career in academia at York University. He was a professor of political science, dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies and a Fellow of McLaughlin College. His altruism was recognized with many awards over his lifetime. Most notably, Bell was the recipient of the 2014 Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication Award, the Green Toronto Award for Leadership in Sustainability, the 2016 Harry Jerome Award, the Clean50 Award and the Jackie Robinson Fortitude Award.

Bell also served as the Chair of Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) from 2006 until his death. In that role, he became known as an international thought leader on the power of research to inform education for sustainable development at the provincial, national and international levels.

David V.J. Bell

David V.J. Bell

Following his death, the LSF board approved the establishment of the Annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture to acknowledge his commitment to education for sustainable development and serve to link research to practice in educating for a sustainable future.

The Annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Lecture is intended to help bridge the gap between research and what is practised in educational institutions by identifying Canadian thought leaders and providing a forum for them to share their research and insights on education for sustainable development, specifically as it applies to education policy, teacher education and practice, and student empowerment to make change. Keynote papers and a video of each lecture will be posted and archived on the LSF website. Materials, including the videos and papers, will be circulated to thought leaders across the country.

York continues digital transformation with new electronic platform for student documents

Woman laptop computer FEATURED

York University has joined the Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada (ARUCC) national network as an early adopter for delivering student documents to them electronically through a secure, centralized source. The national network, ARUCC MyCreds™ | MesCertifMC, will enable students to access certain documents through a centralized source and share documents with other institutions globally.

The MyCreds™ platform will help support the University Academic Plan’s sustainable development goals, streamline administrative processes, improve turnaround time to students, help to eliminate credential fraud, enhance student experience with password-protected digital solutions and improve efficiencies with one single repository.

MyCreds™ | MesCertifMC, will enable students to access certain documents through a centralized source and share documents with other institutions globally

Along with other projects – including the Student Systems Renewal Program (SSRP), a new Curriculum Management System and the implementation of SAVY, York’s student virtual assistant – the University is transforming the digital experience for its community.

Staff in the Office of the University Registrar, Faculties and other student service units across both campuses will benefit from a streamlined process that increases speed and accuracy of processing documents and allows service staff to enhance service levels to meet student expectations. Since documents managed through MyCreds™ are certified authentic, the risk of document fraud will be reduced and trust in authenticity increased.

Darran Fernandez
Darran Fernandez

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a number of areas for us to modernize our services to meet student needs. Our partnership with ARUCC | MyCreds™ is a big step in that direction by empowering our learners – both past and present – to use and share their academic records when and how they want through a secure digital national network with global connections,” said York University Registrar Darran Fernandez. “Through this initiative, we are using digital technology to support our students and to help them achieve success – an important commitment that is central to our University Academic Plan.”

Beginning this month, York students will gain secure digital access to graduation confirmation and enrollment verification letters, which will be followed by digital access to diplomas in March and the ability to request and digitally share transcripts in May. Future planned development will include availability of badges and microcredentialing for students.

York University announces new Postdoctoral Program for Black and Indigenous Scholars

Students in building on Keele campus FEATURED image
Students in building on Keele campus FEATURED image

This month, York University is launching a new Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Black and Indigenous Scholars, as part of a wider commitment to promoting justice and embracing a variety of scholarly perspectives, backgrounds and lived experiences. The program will offer emerging scholars from a range of disciplines access to the financial support, mentorship and career development opportunities needed to build the foundation for a successful professional future.

The Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black and Indigenous Scholars will support up to 12 successful applicants over the next four years in any field of study. With a salary of $70,000 provided each year for a two-year term, scholars will be able to dedicate their time to pursuing a proposed project, working alongside a supervisor and other mentors, while also gaining access to guidance from faculty, students and alumni.

Carl James
Carl E. James

Carl James, senior advisor of equity and representation in the Division of Equity, People and Culture, says that the fellowships “will help advance the career ambitions of Black and Indigenous scholars, by providing them with additional opportunities to build their scholarship with, among other things, mentor supports, research opportunities, and important publications. These are things that we know will expand their presence in or outside of the academy.”

Prospective applicants are required to have earned their PhD within the past five years. The program has been designed to address underrepresentation in many disciplines and fields, so candidates will be admitted based on plans to pursue a career in academia and beyond.

This commitment will contribute to priorities identified within the Indigenous Framework for York University and forthcoming Anti-Black Racism Framework, both of which highlight the need to support an inclusive research culture that values diverse voices and knowledges, as well as enabling and supporting the next generation of Indigenous and Black scholars.

Applications for the inaugural intake are due on April 1 and everyone is encouraged to share within their networks and among eligible graduates who may be interested in this opportunity.

For more information about the program itself, visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

Allan I. Carswell Observatory hosts Perseverance landing party

An image of Mars
Elaina Hyde
Elaina Hyde

NASA’s Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter are scheduled to land on the Red Planet on Feb. 18 and York University’s Allan I. Carswell Observatory is hosting a landing party the same day. The online event will take place from 2:30 to 4 p.m. EST or until after the landing.

Join the live online landing party via YouTube to watch the Perseverance landing, learn about Mars and hear a live discussion of what Assistant Professor Elaina Hyde of the Faculty of Science calls the final “seven minutes of terror.”

“After all these months of traveling through space, the rover and its tiny helicopter companion are almost there,” says Hyde. “If you have ever wanted to join an extra-planetary landing party from the comfort of your own home make sure to catch this event. Together, we will see if the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter safely make it to the surface.”

The Ingenuity helicopter is attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover and weighs a mere four pounds. If all goes as planned, Ingenuity will be the first helicopter to try flying on a different planet.

Several Mars-bound rockets blasted off from the surface of Earth in 2020 and all are due to arrive this year. The United Arab Emirates’ first Mars mission, an orbiter named Hope, arrived on Feb 9. Then on Feb. 10, the Tianwen-1, China’s Red Planet orbiter and lander-rover pair will arrive. The orbiter will spend several months imaging the designated landing site to prepare for touchdown (expected May 2021). The observatory will celebrate all these achievements during the landing party.

The online event will be hosted at https://www.youtube.com/user/YorkUObservatory/live.

To learn more, visit the observatory website at https://observatory.info.yorku.ca/.

Mars Landing party graphic

Project Benchmark launches second survey related to services that support teaching and research

Vari Hall

York University will be conducting its second service effectiveness survey over the next coming weeks. The valuable data received from this survey will help improve understanding of the current distribution of services and activities in support of teaching and research, and the University’s academic mission.

All full-time faculty members and CPM staff at the University will be invited to participate in a two-part survey on the effectiveness of services at York. Part 1 will run from Feb. 15 to 26 and part 2 will run from March 8 to 19. Both parts 1 and 2 of the survey will take about 20 minutes each to complete.

This survey will ask University staff and faculty questions related to 10 core service areas (65 services), to identify which services are most important to their role at York, and whether those services are effective. The Service Effectiveness Survey will provide a closer look at satisfaction levels gathered from both service providers and end users to help with informed decisions about how to continue to improve service delivery at York.

To ensure confidentiality, the survey is being conducted and administered by a third party. Those invited to participate will receive an email from the Project Benchmark Executive Sponsors.

For questions about Project Benchmark or the survey, contact Richard Silva, program manager, at benchmark@yorku.ca.

For more information about the survey or about Project Benchmark, visit the yu link site.

New study shows people are not as financially responsible as they believe

Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash

Researchers from York University’s Schulich School of Business, the University of Notre Dame, and University of New England have published a paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines why people under-save, and provides a simple, short and inexpensive intervention that helps them increase their personal savings. 

The study, titled “Popping the Positive Illusion of Financial Responsibility Can Increase Personal Savings: Applications in Emerging and Western Markets,” argues that many people hold unrealistic positive beliefs about how well they save and manage money – beliefs that actually prevent them from saving more money. One solution, developed by the team of researchers, is an “intervention” that shatters, or “pops,” the positive illusion that these people cling to.

The researchers created something they termed a “superfluous-spender intervention” that influenced people to believe they were not saving as well as they believed. Across a series of six experiments, they showed that people receiving the superfluous-spender intervention increased both their intentions to save and increased their actual savings relative to those who do not receive the intervention. According to the researchers, “the intervention increases saving by inducing one’s desire to restore diminished perceptions of financial responsibility.”

The research paper is authored by Nicole Mead, associate professor of marketing at Schulich; Emily Garbinsky, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business; and Daniel Gregg, a senior research fellow at the University of New England in Australia.

“This research has the potential to improve people’s lives in these challenging times,” says Mead. “My co-authors and I have developed a simple, inexpensive and easy-to-implement intervention that can help people to save more money.

“Before the pandemic hit, many countries were reporting record low saving rates and record high debt loads. The pandemic made clear to both households and governments the importance of having an emergency savings fund. Hopefully, expediting saving will continue to be a prominent conversation in the lives of people around the world.”

Reminder: University Town Hall scheduled for Monday, Feb. 8

Vari Hall Winter Scene

The following is a reminder to the University community from President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton:

La version française suit la version anglaise.

As a result of interest expressed by our community members, the senior leadership team will now be hosting a consultation on the 2021-22 University Budget at the virtual town hall taking place on Monday, Feb. 8.

We look forward to presenting an overview of the University’s current financial framework and hearing your thoughts on urgent budget priorities, as well as the opportunities and challenges we face as we plan for the next academic year.

We encourage you to submit questions in advance of the event using this form.

For those who submitted questions related to University priorities and planning more broadly through a previous Town Hall invite, you will receive a response to your question directly.

Date: Monday, Feb. 8
Time: 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Zoom Webinar: https://yorku.zoom.us/j/98704749185?pwd=UHBqYk1ncVNrS0pQZXVXRFpVTXRWQT09
Webinar ID: 987 0474 9185
Telephone Dial-In: 647-374-4685
Password: 195097
Livestream: https://conversations.info.yorku.ca/

Note: The Zoom link for this event has been updated from the version sent out in the previous Town Hall invite. Please use the link included above to access the Town Hall.

To help answer your questions, I will be joined by:

  • Lisa Philipps, vice-president academic and provost
  • Carol McAulay, vice-president finance and administration
  • Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation
  • Jeff O’Hagan, vice-president advancement
  • Lucy Fromowitz, vice-provost students

If you have any accessibility needs, notes or comments, please let us know.

We will be hosting this town hall via the video conferencing platform Zoom Webinar. You can learn about downloading and using Zoom here. The Webinar will also be livestreamed on the Town Hall website.

If you have attended a past town hall, we would like your feedback through this short survey. If you were unable to attend previous town halls, you can access all of them here.

The latest community updates, resources and answers to frequently asked questions can always be found on our YU Better Together website.

I look forward to your questions.

Sincerely, 

Rhonda L. Lenton 
President & Vice-Chancellor

Mise à jour importante au sujet de la conversation communautaire prévue le lundi 8 février

En raison de l’intérêt exprimé par les membres de notre communauté, l’équipe de la haute direction tiendra désormais une consultation sur le budget universitaire 2021-2022 lors de la conversation communautaire virtuelle qui aura lieu le lundi 8 février.

Nous avons hâte de vous présenter un aperçu du cadre financier actuel de l’Université et de connaître votre opinion au sujet des priorités budgétaires urgentes et des possibilités et défis auxquels nous sommes confrontés alors que nous planifions la prochaine année universitaire.

Nous vous encourageons à soumettre vos questions à l’avance à l’aide de ce formulaire.

Si vous aviez déjà soumis des questions relatives aux priorités de l’Université et à la planification plus générale qui devaient faire l’objet de cette conversation communautaire, vous recevrez directement une réponse à votre question.

Date : Lundi 8 février 2021
Heure : 9 h 30 à 10 h 45
Webinaire Zoom : https://yorku.zoom.us/j/98704749185?pwd=UHBqYk1ncVNrS0pQZXVXRFpVTXRWQT0
Code du webinaire : 987 0474 9185
Numéro de téléphone : (647) 374-4685
Mot de passe : 195097

Lien pour la diffusion en direct : https://conversations.info.yorku.ca/

Remarque : Le lien Zoom a été mis à jour et est différent de celui envoyé dans l’invitation précédente. Veuillez utiliser le lien ci-dessus pour accéder à la conversation communautaire. 

Pour m’aider à répondre à vos questions, je serai accompagnée de :

  • Lisa Philipps, rectrice et vice-présidente aux affaires académiques
  • Carol McAulay, vice-présidente aux finances et à l’administration
  • Amir Asif, vice-président de la recherche et de l’innovation
  • Jeff O’Hagan, vice-président à la promotion
  • Lucy Fromowitz, vice-rectrice aux affaires étudiantes.

Si vous avez des besoins, des remarques ou des commentaires en matière d’accessibilité, veuillez nous le faire savoir.

Cette conversation communautaire aura lieu grâce à la plateforme de visioconférence Zoom Webinar. Vous pouvez télécharger Zoom et apprendre à l’utiliser ici. Le webinaire sera également diffusé en direct sur le site Web des conversations communautaires.

Si vous avez déjà assisté à une conversation communautaire, nous aimerions connaître votre opinion avec ce bref sondage. Si vous n’avez pas pu assister aux conversations précédentes, elles sont ici.

Vous trouverez les dernières mises à jour, ressources et réponses aux questions fréquemment posées sur notre site Web YU Better Together.

J’attends vos questions avec impatience.

Veuillez agréer mes sincères salutations, 

Rhonda L. Lenton
Présidente et vice-chancelière

John W. Holmes lecture examines intersection of racial inequality, a global pandemic and climate change

A talk on the intersection of racial inequality, a global pandemic and climate change will be the focus of this year’s John W. Holmes Memorial Lecture, which takes place Feb. 23 from 12 to 1 p.m. online.

The lecture is in French and English and is free to attend.

Celina Caesar-Chavannes
Celina Caesar-Chavannes

This year’s guest speaker, Celina Caesar-Chavannes, will take a deeper dive into what these topics have in common – our democracy. Caesar-Chavannes is a business consultant, coach and international speaker. She currently serves as the senior advisor, EDI Initiatives and adjunct lecturer at Queen’s University. She is the former member of parliament for Whitby, parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and parliamentary secretary for International Development.

During her term as a member of parliament, she was awarded:

  • Champion of Mental Health Parliamentarian Award by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health
  • Ontario Black History Society, Daniel G. Hill Award for Community Services (2017)
  • Black Parliamentarian of the Year
  • Featured in the April 2018 edition of O (Oprah Winfrey) Magazine entitled, “What would you stand up for?”
  • Named Chatelaine Magazine’s Woman of the Year (2019)

Before entering politics, Caesar-Chavannes was a successful entrepreneur, and recipient of both the:

  • Toronto Board of Trade’s Business Entrepreneur of the Year
  • Black Business and Professional Association’s Harry Jerome Young Entrepreneur Award.

Caesar-Chavannes has a bachelor of science from the University of Toronto, an MBA in Healthcare Management and an Executive MBA from the Rotman School of Management. She has just published a book, which launched on Feb. 2, titled Can You Hear Me Now?.

The annual John W. Holmes Memorial Lecture at Glendon honours the late John W. Holmes, officer of the Order of Canada, Canadian diplomat, writer, administrator and professor of international relations at Glendon from 1971-81. Holmes was a tireless promoter of Canada at home and abroad, in political, diplomatic and educational circles. He also participated in the founding of the United Nations and attended its first General Assembly in 1945.

For more information on Holmes, visit this website; for more on the upcoming lecture, visit the event page.

To register for the event, visit the RSVP link.