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

本次研讨会将研究这些组织内的专业组织和亲和团体的交集，以及他们在工程学术界为有色人种妇女（WoC）在职业道路上所扮演的角色。研讨会的目的是发现亲和团体的范围，结构和影响，并从其他专业协会的成功模式学习。 工程学院中缺乏妇女工作者以及他们在专业中的进步可能与这一群体面临的障碍有关。与工程学院中代表性不足群体（URG）的环境相反，企业环境已经接受并理解了多样性所提供的价值。公司环境已经超越了实现多样性的目标，但认识到包容性对其多样性环境的发展至关重要。为了营造一个包容性的环境，公司已经认识到，组织内的亲密团体是关键，因为它们为个人表达关切和传递变革提供了一种手段。工程学院的妇委会认为，工业界提供了一个较宽容的环境，支持专业人员的职业发展。因此，妇委会已在大型专业团体中有机地推行类似在企业层面的工作。 该工作坊将汇集来自政府、学术界、专业团体和行业的领导者，以解决工程学院中有关妇委会的进入、持续和发展的关键问题。来自不同机构（2年，4年，研究密集，少数民族服务）的参与者将研究社区支持和归属感在扩大参与的这一关键因素。战略举措和跨部门合作将支持未来和当前教师的发展，通过在国家环境中的专业参与来推进。这项工作与NSF的大理念相一致，例如INCLUDES。本次研讨会将评估特定学科专业组织中的亲和团体对晋升，任期和晋升为妇委会学院领导的影响。由于文献有限，建议的工作坊旨在了解特定学科专业组织的现状、其亲和团体及其角色，从而评估其对工程学院推进妇委会的影响。 推动这一讲习班概念化的动机是为支持工程学院中代表性不足的群体（URG）女性的职业发展做出贡献。 为了更深入了解亲合团体如何支持工程学院的妇委会发展，本工作坊将回答以下研究问题：（1）专业机构及其内的相关亲合团体参与妇委会的范围能否量化？(2)在亲和群体中是否有一个规定的结构，与其人口中实现学术职业发展的比例相关？(3)专业团体和相关的亲和团体对工程学术界推动妇委会的影响能否量化？(i.e.晋升为正教授的妇委会委员的百分比、担任学术领导的妇委会委员的百分比等）是次工作坊将以“正面组织奖学金”为基础，为工程学院内的妇委会相关团体构思及设计最佳实践。这个工作坊将锚在职业发展的POS研究，探索亲和群体的潜力，重点是专业和心理社会支持，社区实践，相互学习和成长，以及基于网络的辅导模式。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

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.