Women's Economic Stability with Alison Bell
1. Can you share a bit about your personal and professional experience and how it led you to a leadership position with WGU Indiana?
Growing up in Muncie, Indiana, I was exposed to higher education in many ways. I attended Burris Laboratory School, which offers a clinical setting for prepping future educators. And, my father was a history professor at Ball State for 44 years, influencing my draw toward higher education. I now have 20+ years of higher education leadership experience and serve as the Chancellor of WGU Indiana, the state’s online, competency-based university, and Regional Vice President of WGU’s Central Region.
2. How does WGU Indiana create equitable and affordable opportunities for students?
WGU serves a diverse student body, especially those who are not well-served by traditional colleges. Our education model emphasizes four key access points - cost, flexibility, place and time. We also provide many scholarship and grant opportunities, like the Resiliency Grant that helps students with financial struggles, increasing access to 60+ degree programs.
3. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 140,000 jobs were lost in December 2020 and all of those jobs were held by women. And currently 1 in 12 Black women and 1 in 11 Latina women remain unemployed. What are your thoughts on the virus having disproportionate effects on women, solutions and the importance of advocating for women in the workforce?
Women experienced unprecedented job loss as a result of the pandemic and, for additional complex social and cultural reasons, women (21%) are more likely to perform unpaid work such as housework and caregiving than men (1.5%). Before the pandemic, women spent an average of four hours each day on unpaid work. Now, women spend an average of 15 more hours each week on unpaid work. Women facing temporary or permanent job loss could easily feel hopeless in the wake of the pandemic. Two things are undeniable:
We need women in the workforce.
Women need options and support as they recover from the impact of this pandemic.
Institutions like WGU Indiana offer a lifeline to women as they transition to new opportunities.
4. How does the digital divide play into inequities in our state, further creating a barrier to accessing education opportunities?
The digital divide affects progress toward social, economic and racial equity and the pandemic has exacerbated this divide when many of our needs have transitioned online. The divide hinders access to education and the growth potential of our state’s future workforce. 666,000 people in Indiana live without access to a proper internet connection and Black and Latinx families with school-aged children are more than twice as likely to lack internet access as white families.
WGU Indiana creates equitable access opportunities through scholarships like the Online Access Scholarship, which provides students with internet access and necessary equipment to pursue their degree.
5. Who were your mentors growing up and how did they impact your views on supporting and advocating for women?
When I was young, my mother earned her master’s degree while working full-time and went on to become an academic advisor at Ball State. Her drive showed me that I was capable of my own goals, too.
And my grandmother’s gumption resembled that of Rosie the Riveter. Her big heart and determination set a strong example for me. During World War II when men were overseas, my grandmother went to work for crane companies. These women and their experiences led me to pursue my own career in higher education and to be an advocate for women.
6. Being a working parent can require a lot of focus on creating a work/life balance. How do you achieve this and what advice would you give to other working parents?
Society still lags behind in supporting working parents, particularly mothers, to create equitable opportunities in the workforce and eliminate the many barriers that often work against us. Yet women are resilient and have far more grit than given credit for. It’s important for me to set a strong example to my children that women can be strong, successful leaders and loving mothers at once. I heavily rely on prioritizing and setting boundaries. By doing this, I’m able to be more present and give dedicated attention where it’s due. More present, more productive. While at the office, I’m focused on the priorities set for that day until I change hats and head home to family. Then, I’m all-in with them.