By David Simpson
51情报站 has received a three-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation that will boost efforts to address the underrepresentation of women in science and engineering faculty positions at 51情报站, Provost Austin O. Agho announced on July 12.
The ADVANCE Adaptation Grant project, "Re-envisioning Inclusive and Sustainable Excellence (RISE): Advancing Women in STEM at 51情报站,鈥 is designed to:
- Increase the recruitment, hiring, promotion and tenure of women STEM faculty, particularly women of color.
- Improve the departmental climate to enhance inclusivity.聽
鈥淭his award is good news for 51情报站 and for our continuing efforts to hire, promote and retain a more diverse faculty,鈥 said Agho, who is also vice president for academic affairs.
Gail Dodge, dean of the College of Sciences, said receiving an NSF ADVANCE grant is exciting for 51情报站.
鈥淚 am looking forward to working with the ADVANCE team to take concrete steps to improve our recruiting and retention of women faculty in STEM,鈥 she said. 鈥淚mplementing proven strategies to ensure a welcoming and inclusive climate is a key part of this grant.鈥
The NSF and 51情报站 share a commitment to increasing the representation of women in academic science and engineering careers, said Kenneth Fridley, dean of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology.聽
鈥淭he ADVANCE grant awarded to 51情报站 will accelerate our efforts to increase the representation of women in engineering and science faculty positions at 51情报站 and have our faculty fully reflect the communities we serve,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he Batten College of Engineering and Technology is committed to achieving the goals of the grant and creating an academic culture that fully supports women, particularly women of color faculty.鈥
Agho is the principal investigator for the grant, which begins Aug. 1. Co-PIs are Annette Finley-Croswhite, professor of history and director of the Center for Faculty Development; Shanda Jenkins, faculty diversity and retention coordinator; Vukica Jovanovic, professor and chair, engineering technology; and Stacie Ringleb, professor, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and assistant dean of diversity, equity, inclusion and access for the Batten College.
A driving force behind the process, Finley-Croswhite said, was Mona Danner, chair of sociology and criminal justice, who is retiring this month.
"As a member of the University Women鈥檚 Caucus, I have been active in efforts to advance women at 51情报站 during my entire career,鈥 Danner said. 鈥淚t is thrilling to win this award as it will further 51情报站鈥檚 commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.鈥
The benefits of the RISE project will be tangible, Agho said, 鈥渆specially to women, women of color and women with international backgrounds. The project will also enhance existing efforts at 51情报站 to positively influence the trajectory of minoritized students in STEM fields by ensuring that these students have more opportunities to work with women STEM faculty from diverse backgrounds.鈥澛犅犅
Agho praised Danner and Finley-Croswhite and the other co-PIs, as well as others involved with the grant: Kate Hawkins, vice provost for faculty affairs and strategic initiatives; Barbara Hargrave, professor, biological sciences; Khan Iftekharuddin, professor, Batten College; Joe Brobst, research assistant professor, and Joanna Garner, research professor, Center for Educational Partnerships; Karen Eck, assistant vice president for research, Jackie Stein, director of research development, and Stephen Landowne, senior grant development specialist, Office of Research; Stephanie Haskell, manager of sponsored programs 鈥 pre-award, 51情报站 Research Foundation; Tyler Miller-Gordon, senior research associate for assessment, Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment; and Kristal Kinloch-Taylor, educational program developer, Center for Faculty Development. Holly Gaff, professor and chair, biological sciences, will replace Danner on the leadership team.
NSF ADVANCE Adaptation grants build on prior research and scholarly literature addressing gender, racial and ethnic disparities in higher education, Finley-Croswhite said. The 51情报站 grant drew on research adapted from ADVANCE Adaptation projects at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville; Case-Western Reserve; the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Kansas State University; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Irvine; and University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, as well as research from Columbia University.
鈥淲e can project that with this NSF ADVANCE grant, we will be better able to transform the campus into one that more strongly embraces a vibrant and diverse STEM faculty,鈥 Finley-Croswhite said.