Academic Career Enhancement for Underrepresented Faculty in Engineering

目前缺乏教师多样性的工程构成了严重的威胁，以取代老化的教师，保留代表性不足的少数民族（URM）的学生，发展多元化的劳动力和国家的福祉。这一具有挑战性的问题已经解决了在过去几十年中，有限的成功，部分原因是复杂的和相互关联的因素，影响代表性不足的少数民族教师的职业发展。需要制定战略，以增加代表性不足的少数民族教师的数量和职业成功，以确保工程和国家竞争力的多样性。这些目标和活动与NSF的使命密切相关，以扩大代表性不足的人口在工程领域的参与和成功。有色人种学院在工程学的学术队伍中代表了一个惊人的小，未开发和服务不足的人口。这种状况告知拟议项目的目标，这是为了加强存在，社会化，保留和晋升的初级和中级职业教师从工程代表性不足的人口。该项目旨在通过以下目标来实现这些目标：1）为代表性不足的早期和中期职业教师制定和实施一系列全面的职业发展举措; 2）对影响这些教师进步和进步的实践和政策进行研究。该项目包括一个专业/领导力发展的组成部分，通过现有的知识，帮助代表性不足的教师成功的因素。还有一个研究部分，旨在增加关于职业发展问题的国家知识库。该项目的主要特点包括：年度专业/领导能力发展研讨会，建立一个在线社区（例如，使用NSF资助的国家教师公平研究所网站，网络研讨会等），在专业协会会议上组织网络联系，高级学者的积极参与和多年参与机会。此外，研讨会将被用作一个论坛，以实施一个混合方法的影响因素研究代表性不足的教师在学术界的经验。在这种情况下，该项目将探讨以下研究问题：RQ 1。什么个人和系统因素是促进和/或阻碍URM教师的进步和进步？RQ 2. URM教师的经验有哪些显著的组内差异？(e.g.,外国出生的黑人教师如何体验学院不同于他们的美国出生的同龄人？西班牙裔教师的经历如何根据他们的原籍国而有所不同？）RQ 3. URM教师过去的专业发展经验如何影响他们今天对挑战和机遇的反应？该项目将有助于少数民族教师在工程方面的成功和进步，从而提高他们的参与和保留，并提高他们的排名。这些少数民族的增加增强了教师的多样性，并提供了榜样和自我形象，有助于增强招聘，保留和所有学生的最终成功-特别是那些来自工程劳动力中代表性不足的群体-这是必要的，以建立一个多元化的科学和工程劳动力需要保持国家竞争力和繁荣。

The current lack of faculty diversity in engineering poses serious threats to the replacement of an aging faculty, the retention of underrepresented minority (URM) students, the development of a diverse workforce and the well being of the nation. This challenging issue has been addressed over the past few decades with limited success, due in part to the complex and interrelated factors that influence the career advancement of underrepresented minority faculty. Strategies are needed to increase the numbers and career success of underrepresented minority faculty, to ensure diversity in engineering and national competitiveness.The goals and activities are closely aligned with NSF's mission to broaden the participation and success of underrepresented populations in engineering. Faculty of color represent an alarmingly small, untapped and underserved population in the academic ranks within engineering. This state of affairs informs the goals of the proposed project, which is to enhance the presence, socialization, retention and advancement of junior and mid-career faculty from underrepresented populations in engineering. The project seeks to achieve these goals via the following objectives: 1) development and implementation of a holistic array of career development initiatives for underrepresented early and mid-career faculty; and 2) implementation of research on practices and policies impacting the progression and advancement of these faculty members. The project includes a professional/leadership development component, informed by existing knowledge on the factors that help underrepresented faculty members succeed. There is also a research component that is intended to add to the national knowledge base on issues of career progression. Key features of the project include: an annual professional/leadership development symposium, the formation of an on-line community (e.g., using the NSF-funded National Institute for Faculty Equity website, webinars, etc.), organized networking at professional society meetings, the active engagement of senior scholars and opportunities for multi-year participation. Additionally, the symposium will be used as a forum to implement a mixed-methods study of the factors influencing underrepresented faculty members' experiences in academia. In this vein, the project will explore the following research questions: RQ1. What individual and systemic factors are facilitating and/or hindering the progression and advancement of URM faculty members?RQ2. What are the salient intragroup differences in the experiences of URM faculty? (e.g., How do foreign-born Black faculty members experience the academy differently than their US-born peers? How do the experiences of Hispanic faculty members differ based on their country of origin?)RQ3. How do URM faculty members' past professional development experiences impact their present day responses to challenges and opportunities?The project will contribute to the success and advancement of minority faculty in engineering, thereby enhancing their participation and retention, and increasing their ranks. The increased presence of these minorities enhances faculty diversity and provides the role models and self images that contribute to the enhanced recruitment, retention, and ultimate success of all students -- especially those from groups underrepresented in the engineering workforce -- which is necessary to build a diverse science and engineering workforce required to maintain national competitiveness and prosperity.