ADVANCE Adaptation: Nevada State College - Pursuing Equity to Enhance Retention (PEER)

Nevada State University, Henderson NV

Investigators

Abstract

The Nevada State College (NSC) Pursuing Equity to Enhance Retention (PEER) project will address workload disparities in female and underrepresented minority faculty using an intersectional lens to establish institutional support for scholarship at a teaching-intensive institution. NSC is a minority-serving institution (MSI) with Hispanic-Serving (HSI) and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPSI) designations in an Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) jurisdiction. Invisible service disproportionally impacts women and other underrepresented faculty. The PEER project will adapt and implement evidence-based systemic change to address the intersectionality of women in STEM and reverse power dynamics by creating transparent workloads as well as providing scholarship and psychosocial support to improve faculty job satisfaction, research/publication, and tenure/promotion. The results of this project will help inform best practices to support women of color in STEM at a MSI. The specific aims of the PEER Project are to address three institutional challenges identified by female and underrepresented racial minority STEM faculty at NSC, including: 1) inequitable service and teaching loads, 2) lack of recognition and rewards for invisible service, and 3) inadequate scholarship and career development support. To address these challenges, PEER Project objectives include: 1) improving PEER EQUITY via development of faculty workload dashboards and department equity plans to ensure fair distribution of teaching and service loads, 2) increasing PEER RECOGNITION via development and implementation of academic policies that mitigate workload imbalance and reward invisible service, and 3) enhancing PEER SUPPORT mechanisms by revising and bolstering extant services that prioritize professional development and collaborative mentorship for faculty identities to increase belonging and scholarship productivity in STEM. The PEER project will support the full inclusion of all women and historically underrepresented STEM faculty and will disassemble institutional barriers in academia. The project will have a major impact on the teaching and research infrastructures at NSC by developing a core STEM faculty. Expected project outcomes include an evidence base for the feasibility and efficacy of project activities that improve faculty retention and capacity for research, as evidenced by attainment of extramural funding, peer-reviewed publications, and career longevity. 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 "Adaptation" awards provide support for the adaptation and adoption of evidence-based strategies to academic, non-profit institutions of higher education as well as non-academic, non-profit organizations. 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.