ADVANCE Adaptation: Leveraging Best Practices for Institutional Change at a Research-Intensive Hispanic-Serving Institution

University Of Texas At San Antonio, San Antonio TX

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) ADVANCE Adaptation project is designed to improve the workplace culture and climate for STEM faculty at a newly minted research one university. This project is informed by an institutional self-assessment that identified opportunities to enhance the institution’s ability to recruit highly qualified STEM faculty to UTSA and to ensure that they are retained and thrive professionally and personally. The project aims to integrate essential change components into a comprehensive institutional strategy that aligns data management, practice, and leadership to effect systemic change. The project will implement a faculty mentoring program to foster a culture of mentoring that supports faculty at all points in their professional career. In addition, the project will support policy reviews and revisions and provide training to key stakeholders. These initiatives are evidence-based and informed by the relevant research literature. The project will create university and college level Local Change Teams that will be empowered to drive evidence-based changes such as mentoring and policy review and revision. This project aims to develop and implement a range of coordinated initiatives in pursuit of a productive academic workplace for all faculty. The project has support from institutional leadership, includes plans for monitoring the effectiveness of the strategies implemented, and is designed to be sustainable. It is anticipated that the lessons learned from the project will inform other institutions around the nation on strategies to ensure organizational support for all STEM faculty. 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.