ADVANCE: Catalyzing Gender Equity at a Research Institution in the Deep South

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Louisiana State University (LSU) will implement an ADVANCE Catalyst project to conduct an institutional self-assessment to investigate gender inequities in academic leadership and research and to develop a meaningful equity strategic plan to address those inequities. The regional characteristics of LSU confound the experiences of women from diverse backgrounds and provide an important institutional context for understanding and advancing approaches to address systemic gender inequities within a research university, located in one of the most diverse regions of the country. The LSU ADVANCE Catalyst project will focus on understanding micro-climates within the university, communicating an inclusive and innovative plan for faculty success through institutional data analyses and strategic communication, and developing an inclusive five-year equity action plan. The LSU project will also investigate strategic communication as an institutional change lever for advancing change in diverse contexts. The LSU ADVANCE Catalyst project will build on gendered organizations theories and use the human performance technology (HPT) model, which provides a systematic and comprehensive approach to improving the work performance of individuals in an organization by investigating the lived experiences of workers (i.e. faculty members), the work that they do, and the environment in which they conduct their work. Drawing on this model, LSU will examine the inequities in the faculty experience and organizational practices. Overall, the LSU ADVANCE Catalyst will lay the groundwork for engaging the campus at multiple levels in an equity strategic plan with a focus on advancing faculty productivity and innovation. This institutional context also provides a unique intersectional lens from which to study these problems and develop interventions that promote the success of all faculty regardless of their diverse identities.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 "Catalyst" awards provide support for institutional equity assessments and the development of five-year faculty equity strategic plans at an academic, non-profit institution of higher education.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.