ADVANCE Partnership: Joining forces - A Midwestern Partnership for STEM Faculty Success

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo MI

Investigators

Abstract

This ADVANCE Partnership project is a collaboration among four research-intensive midwestern institutions: Iowa State University, North Dakota State University Fargo, Western Michigan University, and Michigan Technological University. Programs developed with prior ADVANCE funding will be integrated into a coordinated and portable package, the Integrated Equity Support (IES) system. The IES includes cross-institutional components including: mentoring communities, male advocates and allies, and department chair professional development. In addition, the IES will be complemented and supported with the development of a IES Caucus to facilitate sharing and community building. The IES Caucus will expand to include additional institutional members increasing the reach of the Partnership project beyond the original four institutions. The project will be implemented in three phases over the duration of the project. In the first year, three of the partner universities will adapt and adjust existing programs for IES cross-institutional collaborations; in the second and third years the IES will be implemented as a pilot program at Western Michigan University; in the third year, the partner institutions will disseminate the program. The long-term outcome of this project is expected to be increased retention and career advancement at midwestern universities of underrepresented women and women with family responsibilities in STEM department. The NSF ADVANCE program is designed to foster gender equity through a focus on the identification and elimination of organizational barriers that impede the full participation and advancement of diverse faculty in academic institutions. Organizational barriers that inhibit equity may exist in policies, processes, practices, and the organizational culture and climate. ADVANCE "Partnership" awards provide support to collaborations among STEM professional societies and academic and non-academic non-profit organizations designed to broaden the implementation of evidence-based equity strategies and have a national or regional reach. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.