IT Catalyst: Evaluating the Impact of Service on Career Advancement of Women Faculty at SF State

San Francisco State University, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

San Francisco State University (SF State) will undertake an ADVANCE Institutional Transformation-Catalyst (IT-Catalyst) project to examine the role and effects of faculty service on the professional outcomes of women faculty at SF State. Preliminary data from SF State STEM departments reveal a high service burden for women faculty. The project will further the understanding of the meaning, perceptions, and distribution of service at SF State among faculty. Importantly, the project will develop strategies to assist faculty in balancing teaching, research, and service to successfully obtain tenure and promotion. The proposal aims to identify the possible negative consequences of a heavy service load on the productivity and academic advancement of women STEM faculty. SF State will also investigate whether sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and sexuality (lesbian, gay, bisexual, heterosexual, queer, and several identities) influence the service load of faculty at SF State. SF State is a large urban university serving a highly diverse student population. The results and the methodologies developed in this project will be of broad interest to institutions of higher education particularly other large public universities The ADVANCE program is focused on developing systemic approaches to increase the participation, retention, and advancement of women in academic STEM careers. The IT-Catalyst track funds projects to conduct institutional self-assessments as well as implement strategies that have been shown to be effective to address gendered issues for STEM faculty.