ADVANCE Catalyst: Organizational Change for Gender Equity in STEM Academic Professions

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As the nation continues to focus on the importance and significance of diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educators within higher education, many universities are taking a closer look at their hiring practices and their culture of equity and inclusion. Evidence suggests that a diverse STEM workforce is essential to the education of future scientists. Addressing systemic barriers to developing a diverse and supported STEM faculty, particularly for women and women of color, requires transformative change at all recruitment, promotion, and retention levels. In the interest of emphasizing a focus on intersectionality, we will refer to women, women of color, queer women, and women with intersectional marginalized identities in STEM fields as womxn faculty in STEM. Even though the number of womxn receiving doctorates in the sciences is increasing, research has shown that womxn in academia are less likely than men to be recruited, promoted, and retained in STEM departments. Womxn who become STEM faculty members in tenure-track positions are often promoted slower than men into leadership positions because of a variety of barriers in the workplace. Resistance to programs that attempt to correct gender bias and an inclination to devalue or dismiss research on the biases that womxn in STEM face continue to persist. This situation calls for a transformative approach to an institution's culture. This project aims to increase female-identifying STEM faculty recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention. This project aims to focus on three goals directly addressing each area of recruitment, retention, and promotion: (1) implement rigorous data tracking for each stage of faculty recruitment and hiring practices, (2) explore perceptions and realities of equity and transparency in faculty teaching and service loads, and (3) review policies and practices related to tenure and promotion to leadership. The project will result in a collaboratively developed five-year plan to enhance and support faculty diversity in STEM at CSUB.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 academic, non-profit institutions 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.