COSW exists to promote gender equity at UofL for all women, femmes, and non-binary individuals.
COSW offers support so that every woman can achieve her goals. Diverse women at every table, every level, influencing every endeavor undertaken at UofL.
COSW works to regularly assess salary equity, internal job mobility and representation in all faculty and staff ranks.
The UofL COSW Cohort Report created by the Representation, Recruitment, and Retention Committee is now available.
Welcome to the University of Louisville's Commission on the Status of Women (COSW)! COSW (COH-swah) serves as the university president’s chief policy advisory group for faculty and staff gender equity. As current Chair and Vice Chair, we invite you to review and explore how COSW positively influences the lives of women/femmes/non-binary employees in their faculty and staff roles at UofL. Perhaps you will decide to become involved with this dynamic group to ensure that COSW’s work continues making positive changes at the university.
Ginevra Courtade, PhD, COSW Chair (2024-2026)
Sammy-Jo Hand, MS, COSW Vice Chair/Chair-Elect (2024-2026)
In August of 1994, UofL’s then-president, Dr. Donald Swain, appointed the Task Force on the Status of Women to assess the status of women faculty and staff at the university and recommend changes to improve that status. COSW was created in 1995 to monitor UofL’s progress in eliminating gender-based inequities and to serve as his chief policy advisor on gender equity issues. Since its inception, COSW has been instrumental in advocating for numerous policy and procedural changes, which have positively affected University women/femmes/non-binary employees in their faculty and staff roles.
Learn more about COSW in our video.
COSW General Body Meeting
June 28
