Understanding the Role of Affinity Groups on the Advancement of Women of Color in the Engineering Academy a Workshop

本研讨会将研究专业组织和这些组织中的亲和力团体的交集，以及它们在工程学术界为有色人种女性(WoC)在职业道路上所扮演的角色。研讨会的目的是发现亲和力团体的影响范围、结构和影响，并向其他专业协会学习成功的模式。工程学院中WOC的缺乏和他们在专业上的进步可能与这些人所面临的障碍有关。与代表不足群体工程学院(URG)的环境形成对比的是，企业环境已经接受并理解了多样性所提供的价值。企业环境已经超越了实现多样性的目标，但认识到包容性对于其多样化环境的增长至关重要。为了促进包容性环境，企业认识到，组织内的亲和力群体是关键，因为他们为个人提供了一种表达关切和传递变化的手段。WOC在工程学院的看法是，行业为职业发展提供了一个更可容忍的环境。因此，在大型专业协会中，沃尔玛已经有机地实施了与公司环境中类似的努力。本次研讨会将汇聚来自政府、学术界、专业团体和产业界的领导人，共同探讨有关WOC在工程学院的进入、持续和发展的关键问题。来自不同机构的参与者(2年、4年、密集研究、少数群体服务)将研究社区支持和归属感在扩大参与方面的这一关键要素。战略举措和跨部门协作将支持未来和现有教师的发展，以通过在国家环境中的专业参与来取得进步。这项工作与国家科学基金会的伟大思想如INCLUDES相一致。本研讨会将评估特定学科的专业组织中亲和力团体的存在对WOC学院内的晋升、终身教职和晋升为领导力的影响。由于可获得的文献有限，拟议的研讨会旨在了解特定学科的专业组织的现状，它们的亲和力群体，以及它们的作用，从而评估它们的影响范围和对工程学院WOC进步的影响。推动这一讲习班构想的一个动机是为支持代表不足群体(URG)女性在工程学院的职业发展做出贡献。为了更好地了解亲和力团体如何支持工科院校沃克的发展，本研讨会将试图回答以下研究问题：(1)专业组织和组织内相关亲缘团体对参与沃克的影响是否可以量化？(2)亲缘团体内是否有规定的结构与其部分人口实现学术生涯晋升有关？(3)专业组织和相关亲缘团体对工程学术界沃克进步的影响能否量化？本工作坊将利用积极的组织奖学金(POS)来构思和设计工程学学院中与大学密切相关的小组的最佳实践。这个研讨会将以POS职业发展研究为基础，探索亲和力群体的潜力，强调专业和心理社会支持、社区实践、相互学习和成长，以及基于网络的指导模式。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This workshop will study the intersection of professional organizations and affinity groups within those organizations, and the role that they play for women of color (WoC) in engineering academia as they traverse their career pathways. The purpose of the workshop is to discover the reach, structure, and impact of affinity groups, and to learn from successful models from other professional societies. The dearth of WoC in the engineering academy and their advancement in the profession can be correlated to obstacles faced by this population. In contrast from the environment in the engineering academy for underrepresented groups (URGs), corporate settings have embraced and understood the value that diversity offers. Corporate settings have gone beyond the goal of achieving diversity, but recognize that inclusion is essential for the growth of their diverse environment. To foster an inclusive environment, corporations have learned that affinity groups within the organization are key as they provide a means for individuals to articulate concerns and impart change. The perception by WoC in the engineering academy is that industry offers a more tolerable environment supporting professional career advancement. Therefore, similar efforts as those in corporate settings have been implemented organically by WoC in large professional societies. This workshop will bring together leaders from government, academia, professional societies and industry to address critical issues around the entry, persistence and advancement of WoC in the engineering academy. Participants from diverse institutions (2-year, 4-year, research intensive, minority serving) will examine this critical element of community support and belonging in broadening participation. Strategic initiatives and cross-sector collaboratives will support the development of future and current faculty to advance through professional engagement in national settings. This work is aligned with the big ideas of NSF such as INCLUDES.This workshop will assess the effect of the presence of affinity groups within discipline-specific professional organizations on the promotion, tenure, and progression into leadership within the academy for WoC. Due to the limited availability of literature, the proposed workshop is designed to gain an understanding of the current landscape of discipline specific professional organizations, their affinity groups, and their roles leading to assess their reach and impact on the advancement of WoC in the engineering academy. A motivation driving the conceptualization of this workshop is to contribute towards supporting the career progression of underrepresented groups (URG) females in the engineering academy. To better understand how affinity groups can support the progression of WoC in the engineering academy this workshop will seek to answer the following research questions: (1) Can the reach that professional organizations and related affinity groups within those organizations have on engaging WoC be quantified? (2) Is there a prescribed structure within affinity groups that is associated with a proportion of its population achieving academic career advancement? (3) Can the impact that professional organizations and related affinity groups have on the advancement of WoC in engineering academia be quantified? (i.e. percentages of WoC promoted to full professor, percentages of WoC in academic leadership, etc.)This workshop will draw upon Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) to conceptualize and design best practices for affinity groups of WoC in the engineering academy. This workshop will anchor in the POS research on career development to explore the potential of affinity groups with an emphasis on professional and psychosocial support, communal practices, mutual learning and growth, and network-based model of mentoring.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.