ADVANCE Catalyst: Gender and Racial Equity in the STEM Faculty at UMass Boston

University Of Massachusetts Boston, Dorchester MA

Investigators

Abstract

University of Massachusetts, Boston (UMB) 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. The three goals for the project are: 1) examining the systemic barriers and facilitators of gender and racial equity among STEM faculty through an intersectional lens in the realms of hiring, tenure, promotion, differential service burdens, and faculty sense of belonging, 2) piloting a strategy to address the systemic causes of gender and racial inequities for faculty, and 3) empowering faculty and administrators to promote gender and racial equity. The project will focus on the intersections of faculty gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, different abilities, family status, and faculty appointment type and rank. 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.