ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award: Comprehensive Institutional Intervention Strategy at Iowa State University

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The goal of this project is to investigate the effectiveness of a multilevel participatoryaction model to produce institutional transformation resulting in the full participation ofwomen faculty in science, technology, engineering and math fields in the university. Thismodel focuses on transforming departmental cultures (views, attitudes, norms and sharedbeliefs), practices (what people say and do), and structures (physical and socialarrangements) as well as university policies through active participation of individuals atall levels of the university.Faculty in nine focal departments, chosen from the College of Engineering, the Collegeof Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture, will form the coredepartment-level working groups. A three-step process for departmental transformationwill include focus group and needs assessment meetings, training sessions tailored tomeet the unique needs of individual departments, and collaborative problem solvingsessions involving department faculty and ADVANCE program leaders. Developing andimplementing best practices for fostering cultures, practices and structures of inclusionwill be the goal at the department level. Department chairs and ADVANCE professorswill be key change agents. At the same time, the university-wide focus will be onidentification of subtle and overt impediments to equity and on policies that will helpdissolve these barriers. The Provost, Associate Provost, Deans, College Equity Advisors,College Diversity Committees, Department Chairs, and ADVANCE professors willdevelop and transform policies to increase the transparency of decision making,institutionalize flexible career options, strengthen and expand mentoring efforts, increaseawareness of administration, faculty and staff regarding issues for women in STEM fieldsand expand strategies specifically for advancement of women of color. Retreats andnetworking meetings will facilitate interactions within the university, building acommunity of women STEM faculty which will reduce isolation. A national conference,hosted at Iowa State University, will bring leading experts to campus to share strategiesfor change and provide a forum for dissemination of best practices, particularly in thearea of flexible faculty careers.The Iowa State University ADVANCE Leadership Team has worked together for threeyears on institutional issues related to the advancement of women faculty in STEM. Ledby the Associate Provost, the ADVANCE Leadership Team has hosted visits by nationalexperts on diversity, developed and revised key policies, and developed a network offaculty and administrators who have participated in ISU STEM retreats for women.Partnerships with existing ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grantees willcontinue to be a key component of this on-going effort. The multidisciplinaryADVANCE Leadership Team will be centrally involved in coordinating this project withindividual members serving in key roles as change agents throughout the university.Data from focal departments, colleges and the university will be gathered and used toevaluate the effectiveness of this approach in institutional transformation. Successfulstrategies and actions will be generalized to be implemented in other departments and atother universities. The results of this research, regarding the effectiveness of theparticipatory action model as a driver for institutional change, will be shared with otherADVANCE institutions and presented nationally in journals and at conferences.