Adaptation: DU MERISTEM - Mobilizing Equity to Raise Inclusivity in STEM

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Despite the fact that the proportion of females earning STEM degrees is now nearly equal to men, women account for less than a third of STEM faculty positions in American universities-- and even fewer faculty with intersectional identities. The University of Denver (DU) will address this problem with an interdivisional coalition and initiative called the DU-MERISTEM (pronounced “mer-ə-stem”). “Meristem” is a scientific term that refers to plant tissues with rapidly reproducing cells responsible for growth, development, and healing. Similarly, the DU programs will aim to promote the growth of the STEM leadership to be able to guide cultural change and hiring, develop mentoring structures and resources to ensure retention and promotion of marginalized groups, and work to heal both individual and institutional wrongs through effective accountability structures. The specific goals of DU-MERISTEM are to 1) improve hiring practices to increase diverse representation, 2) increase support across the career trajectory, particularly ensuring that new hires have a pathway to career success, and 3) make the climate more positive for women and other diverse hires through changes to departmental cultures. To advance these aims, DU-MERISTEM will use approaches based on ecological systems theory and Kotter’s change models, which emphasize sustainability and the critical role of leadership. Using this foundation, DU will develop and implement three programs informed by successes at other schools: 1) DU-GROW, in which chairs and others engaged in searches and promotion will receive special training in best practices to foster diversity and equity; 2) DU-DEVELOP, a mentor training program with a focus on helping new hires succeed; and 3) DU-HEAL, an accountability structure for leadership and clear mechanisms to address microaggressions and other conflicts, using specially trained “equity advocates.” Together, these initiatives are intended to shift the culture in such a way as to both increase numbers of women and other underrepresented groups as well as create an environment in which they are supported and can succeed. The products of the programs will not only help inform other similar institutions but will also impact the corporate and non-profit organizational space through DU’s Equity Labs, an immersive, experiential program based in DU’s Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW).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 "Adaptation" awards provide support for the adaptation and adoption of evidence-based strategies to academic, non-profit institutions of higher education as well as non-academic, non-profit organizations.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.