Collaborative Proposal: Broadening Participation for STEM Women of Color

Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program has identified evidence-based leadership and professional development of faculty as one of its priorities and is committed to funding innovative models and approaches that will: broaden the full participation of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM, improve STEM education and educator development at any level, and increase the development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce. With support from the National Science Foundation, Fielding Graduate University, in partnership with the Society of STEM Women of Color, Inc., proposes to enhance and implement the STEM Women of Color Conclave as a Broadening Participation Workshop series that will facilitate the preparation of a cadre of its participants for academic leadership roles. GPRA Strategic Management, Inc. (GPRASMi) will serve as the collaborative organizational partner in implementing the proposed Conclave Workshops. This effort will foster a strategic collaboration and provide access to formal postgraduate training in leadership studies. The overall goal of this effort is to increase the representation of STEM women of color in academic leadership positions by enhancing the quality of the leadership development experience. The proposed Conclave Workshops will heighten the profile of STEM women faculty of color who, in turn, will constitute a powerful knowledge network for broadening participation through effective academic leadership. As a long-term outcome, the proposed leadership development experience for women of color is likely to yield a cadre of academic leaders with the acumen needed to address the shifting demands of higher education, and the cultural sensitivity to yield academic success and better STEM career outcomes, particularly among underrepresented minorities. As such, the proposed Workshops will extend beyond the leadership capacity of its participants to the thousands of underrepresented minority students with whom they will interact. The proposed project will enhance the leadership development experience for women of color who provide the kind of academic and psychosocial support for underrepresented minority students that leads to better STEM learning outcomes by: 1) convening broadening participation workshops focused on leadership development for STEM women of color; and 2) providing access to opportunities to earn continuing education credits as credentials necessary for acquiring legitimacy in and contributing to STEM academic leadership. The specific objectives are: 1) to convene a two-day Broadening Participation Workshop: National Conclave for STEM Women of Color; and 2) to provide access to continuing education (CE) credits for Conclave participants. This project will contribute to redefining higher education leadership to meaningfully include an awareness of, affinity for, and sensitivity to the academic and psychosocial needs of underrepresented minority students, thereby broadening participation. Collectively, these efforts are expected to impact a network of thousands of STEM higher education reformers committed to diversifying STEM faculty, as well as a wider pool of faculty and academic administrators, from all disciplines, who are committed to recruiting and retaining STEM women faculty of color.