ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award: Eradicating Subtle Discrimination in the Academy

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Nationally and at The University of Arizona, far too few women seek--and succeed in faculty careers in science and engineering fields. The destructive role played by subtle discrimination is becoming well-understood. Without intervention, an overly homogeneous culture tends to reproduce itself through the operation of unsuspected biases. Even well-intentioned interventions may be thwarted by subtle discrimination. The University of Arizona seeks not just to diversify its science and engineering faculty but to permanently eradicate subtle discrimination, building programs to counteract its effects while cultivating new practices and new ways of thinking. The Provost, academic Vice Presidents, and Deans will join in developing and implementing strategies on three fronts. First, new programs will be launched to increase the number of stars among women scientists by fostering the development of social capital through networking, collaboration, and mentoring with local, national, and international scientific communities. Second, new expectations will be set for the stewardship of faculty careers through programs aimed at leaders, administrators, and departmental groups, including inquiry-based learning. Third, inequitable practices will be eradicated through development of technology with a dual function of gradually changing attitudes while directly changing the way business is done at the university: software implementations of personnel processes will have built-in mechanisms for evaluating the impact of every decision on overall equity. Eradicating subtle discrimination against women faculty will produce healthier science and engineering disciplines, and it will inevitably elevate awareness of all other forms of subtle discrimination.