ADVANCE Partnership: Appalachian Colleges Association

Appalachian College Association, Walland TN

Investigators

Abstract

The Appalachian College Association (ACA) will lead an ADVANCE Partnership project to address the significant challenge of hiring and retaining STEM faculty, particularly at small rural institutions in the Appalachian region. This project aims to facilitate transformative institutional changes to support faculty. While there have been some efforts to address these issues, there remain gaps in achieving fairness for all faculty. This project aims to address this gap by offering professional development programs, peer mentoring, and academic leadership training tailored to the unique needs of small rural institutions. The project will help participating institutions create workplace environments that are fair and welcoming for all STEM faculty. The project will lead to systemic changes in institutional policies and procedures, creating a culture that values the full range of perspectives available in the country and ensures fair access to opportunities and resources for all faculty members. This project will serve as a catalyst for transformative change in STEM education in the Appalachian region. The goals of the project are to enhance the retention and career trajectories of faculty members that are underrepresented in STEM faculty positions and promote systemic changes in institutional policies and procedures. To achieve these aims, the project will implement a multifaceted approach grounded in the accumulated evidence about effective practices for fair and welcoming academic workplaces. Academic leadership workshops will be conducted for search committees and academic administrators to improve the hiring, promotion, tenure, and evaluation processes. The project will use a collaborative approach, bringing together teams of faculty and administrators to participate in shared governance workshops. These workshops will facilitate the review and revision of policies and procedures to align with institutional goals. By addressing the barriers to equity in STEM faculty careers at small rural institutions, this project will advance the field by creating a more inclusive and supportive academic environment that benefits both faculty and students. 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 for the broader adaptation and adoption of evidence-based strategies that improve academic workplaces for all 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.