ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this project is to contribute to the development of a national science and engineering academic workforce that includes the full participation of women at all levels of faculty and academic leadership, particularly at the senior academic ranks, through the transformation of institutional practices, policies, climate and culture. The University of Michigan proposes to undertake three different types of interventions to improve the opportunities and circumstances of tenure-track women faculty in basic science and engineering fields. These include: (1) a campus climate initiative, which will focus on activities (e.g., workshops, focus groups, climate surveys, consultation on increasing pools of female applicants in searches) that have been identified, or will be created, and made available to any interested science or engineering unit (a department or college) throughout the University; (2) a gender equity resource fund, which will provide new types of direct support to individuals; and (3) a departmental transformation initiative, which will permit a sequenced program of activities to be developed and tailored to a small number of units on a competitive basis. This sequenced program (including internal review or self-study, goal-setting, and a series of targeted activities addressing recruitment, retention and/or climate issues) will enable a sustained, committed intervention within a single department, as well as provide a model of change for other institutional units. All three sets of programs will be evaluated by independent researchers. Evaluations will be conducted throughout the course of the Award, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Results of early evaluations will be used to revise Programs. This multi-level program is designed to improve the campus environment for women faculty in science and engineering at the University of Michigan, and as a result to increase the successful recruitment, retention and promotion of tenure-track women faculty in basic science fields. The presence and success of these women faculty will in turn affect the expectations and attitudes of the many women and men who are graduate and undergraduate students in science and engineering fields. Many of these individuals will go on to have science and engineering careers themselves; because UM trains so many students, it is anticipated that the impact of this program will reach well beyond this university. Creation of a more equitable climate at UM will affect other campuses through the next generation of science and engineering faculty who will themselves train students, as well as non-academic work settings in which scientists and engineers trained at UM are employed. This project is supported by the NSF ADVANCE Program. The overall mission of the ADVANCE Program is to increase the participation of women in the scientific and engineering workforce through the increased representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers.