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April 24, 2017

Progress under Porterfield

Breaking through the glass ceiling at some colleges with religious affiliations can be more difficult.

Porterfield, 51, who did her doctorate in educational leadership, studied women presidents in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. She found that as of 2013, just six of the 120 colleges in that council had female presidents.

Currently, the number is 12, including Porterfield, who in 2014 became the first female president of Roberts Wesleyan and its affiliate, Northeastern Seminary.

Roberts Wesleyan, however, was established in 1866 by a religious leader, Benjamin Titus ("B.T.") Roberts, who was a founder of the Free Methodist Church and believed women should be in leadership positions.

Roberts authored a book, Ordaining Women, and in the local author collection of the Rochester Public Library is a copy of that book, with an inscription from Roberts’ wife, Ellen, to Susan B. Anthony.

Still, Roberts was more progressive than the denomination he helped establish, which did not permit the ordination of women until a 1974 resolution by its governing body gave “women equal status with men in the ministry of the church.”

Prior to Roberts Wesleyan, Porterfield spent her professional career at Azusa Pacific University, near Los Angeles. She had risen to the position of executive vice president of Azusa’s Online University when she was contacted by a search firm helping Roberts Wesleyan find candidates for its presidential opening.

As president, Porterfield has increased the number of women in her eight-member cabinet from one to four.

She had been given career opportunities by Azusa Pacific President Jon Wallace and wants to do the same for promising talent at Roberts Wesleyan  — saying it’s important to help "people so they can be the best they can be."

Porterfield has made a priority of reaching out to minorities. Women make up 15 of the 22 program directors and 22 of 49 faculty members who have tenure, but none of these female program directors are minorities and just two of the tenured women faculty members are minorities.

She established a hiring task force, which has come up with proposals — now being implemented — to increase outreach efforts for minority recruiting.

Roberts Wesleyan sends out a monthly list of job postings to churches with large minority congregations and, along with Northeastern Seminary, is considering the establishment of an Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity.

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