ADVANCE-IT Catalyst: Supporting the Success of a Diverse STEM Faculty at Brooklyn College

Cuny Brooklyn College, Brooklyn NY

Investigators

Abstract

Brooklyn College of the City University of New York will implement an ADVANCE Catalyst project to conduct an institutional self-assessment to understand the status of women faculty in STEM disciplines on the main campus. This project will include the collection and analysis of STEM faculty data to uncover the systemic gender-based inequities that exist at the institution. The project will focus on individuals from underrepresented groups, including women, those from racial/ethnic groups under-represented in STEM areas, and individuals with non-binary gender identities. The project will add 10 years of historical data on all faculty to an existing academic data warehouse including information on salaries, rank at hiring, tenure decisions, history of progression in rank, and work factors such as start-up funding, laboratory resources (space, renovation), and workload flexibility for family needs. The data in the warehouse will be used to determine how the target groups have fared historically in STEM and will be the key resource for assessing equity needs and will provide a long-term data collection system for monitoring the impact of the ADVANCE project as well as other faculty focused efforts. This two-year project will prepare the university for future data collection and data analyses of faculty equity which can be used by institutional leadership to inform decision-making. The Catalyst work will also prepare the institution to implement evidence-based strategies to enhance the university climate for all faculty which will be outlined in a five-year faculty equity strategic plan that will be produced as part of this project. 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 "Catalyst" awards provide support for institutional equity assessments and the development of five-year faculty equity strategic plans at an academic, non-profit institution of higher education. 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.