ADVANCE - Catalyst: AGREE: Self-Assessment of Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Equity in STEM Faculty at Bucknell

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The ADVANCE- Catalyst: AGREE project will support a two-year self-study at Bucknell University, a primarily undergraduate institution in rural Pennsylvania, to identify any existence of systemic inequities and advancement barriers related to gender, race and ethnicity in STEM faculty through an intersectional approach. Informed by quantitative and qualitative data, the project aims to develop and implement a plan to remove such barriers, solidify evidence-based best practices that support faculty success, establish a review mechanism that allows frequent reflection and improvements in institutional policies, build a supportive community where all members of Bucknell enjoy equitable resources and opportunities, thus extending the ADVANCE network, and produce generalizable strategies to extend the impact from this project to all faculty on Bucknell campus and those at institutions similar to Bucknell. This project will bring significant insights into issues facing women and underrepresented minority (URM) faculty that are unique to STEM disciplines and in a primarily undergraduate institution that strives to enhance diversity in students, faculty and staff.The ADVANCE- Catalyst: AGREE project aims to uncover systemic inequities centered around recruitment, retention, and promotion processes facing women and faculty members underrepresented in STEM disciplines. The project adopts an intersectional approach to collect quantitative and qualitative data from faculty through questionnaires and focused small group interviews followed by comprehensive analysis. The project will investigate factors that are unique at different career stages such as pre-hiring recruitment, tenure-review, and promotion and advancement to track the career progression of faculty of different genders and racial/ethnic backgrounds. The comprehensive self-study is expected to bring insights into addressing the historical and emerging barriers to equity and inclusion facing women and faculty who are underrepresented minorities in STEM. The outcomes of the self-study will enable the institution to improve strategies to support and retain more women and underrepresented minorities in all disciplines. The implementation of these strategies will also provide generalizable practices to liberal arts institutions. 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.