Transcript Document

NSF ADVANCE Program
Academic Careers in Engineering
& Science (ACES)
Lynn T. Singer (Provost’s Office), PI
John Angus (Chemical Engineering), co-PI
Mary Barkley (Chemistry), co-PI
Diana Bilimoria (Organizational Behavior), co-PI
ACES Goals and Objectives
• Transform campus-wide culture
– Recognize and minimize existing barriers
– Catalyze positive cultural change
• Institutionalize transformation through
initiatives in 4 critical areas:
– Coaching, Mentoring, Networking, and Training &
Development
• Target groups: leadership, faculty, students
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3 Levels of ACES Interventions
(1) At the level of leadership of the University, including the President,
Provost, and Deans
• Fundraising for 5 endowed chairs to attract senior women scientists
and engineers
• Annual evaluation of deans' progress toward transformational change.
• Executive coaching of Deans for leadership enhancement
(2) At the school and departmental level
• Intensive coaching, mentoring, networking, and training &
development of deans, chairs, faculty, and students in 4 test
departments in Phase 1,
• Extension of the best practices to all S&E departments in Phase 2,
determined through ongoing research and evaluation activities.
(3) At the campus-wide level
• Distinguished Lectureships for senior women in S&E
• Partner hiring network
• Minority pipeline initiative including faculty exchanges with Fisk
University and summer undergraduate research internships
• Research on factors that influence women’s advancement & retention
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Activities and Progress
• ACES Presentations to Deans and Chairs of four schools.
• Hired key staff (Coordinator, Research Associate, Diversity
Specialist, 4 Graduate Students)
• Launched ACES website
• Begun regular ACES Steering Committee (including Deans)
meetings and ACES Team meetings
– Planning ACES retreat with President, Provost, Deans, and Chairs of
all S&E departments for Fall 2004
– Planning External Advisory Board meeting for Fall 2004
• Funded two ADVANCE Opportunity Fund proposals in
Mathematics and Pharmacology
• Sponsored four ADVANCE Distinguished Lectureships in
Materials Science & Engineering, Chemistry, Organizational
Behavior, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
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Activities and Progress
• Started data collection (baseline and evaluation) studies
– In process of collecting non-perceptual data from all 31 S&E
departments (rank, tenure, office space, lab size, salary, teaching &
service loads, student supervision, research funding, etc.)
– Undertaken focus groups and interviews of 4 test departments
(Chemistry, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Organizational
Behavior, Physiology & Biophysics) – focus groups of men faculty,
women faculty, chairs
– University climate survey for all faculty across campus in design stage
– Designing individual faculty baseline data survey
• Started mentoring committees for all women faculty in test
departments.
– Committees consist of one department faculty member, one university
faculty member outside the department, and one disciplinary member
outside the university
– Mentees set up monthly committee meetings and drive the process
– Held “Successful Mentoring” workshop for mentors and mentees
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Activities and Progress
• Began executive coaching in test departments of all women faculty, chairs,
and deans
– Monthly coaching meetings (face-to-face or phone) with professional
coaches
– Begun monthly Coaches Cohort meetings to plan sessions and create a
coaching template
• On women faculty members’ request, started monthly networking
luncheons for women faculty in the 4 test departments
• Began research studies for:
– Case study of success factors in Neurosciences Department (only
science department with a woman chair)
– Study of perceptions of women faculty, men faculty, and chairs across
the S&E departments
• Initiated pipeline initiatives:
– Fisk University minority faculty exchange (one Fisk faculty member
will be visiting in June 04)
– Minority student summer internships (applications received from 6
students)
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Challenges and Difficulties
• Women faculty of test departments do not want most men
faculty in their departments as mentors.
• Three of four schools/colleges have new deans, at least one of
which does not have time for executive coaching until summer
(since he has just arrived on campus).
• Male faculty express concerns about holding deans
accountable for progress in recruitment, advancement and
retention of S&E women faculty
• Question about whether endowed chairs for women faculty
will be new or draw on existing faculty slots
• Scheduling focus groups of male faculty (by academic rank) in
the test departments was difficult. We are now attempting to
obtain a sample of men at different academic levels by
scheduling 20-30 minute individual interviews in their offices.
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Challenges and Difficulties
• Chairs and male faculty have concerns about legal
aspects (confidentiality issues) of focus groups
• Male faculty and chairs of the test departments are
cautious, in part because of many transitions/uncertainty
in the larger university, in part because they are very
busy, and in part because many activities focus
specifically on women’s advancement and retention.
• Female faculty in the test departments are concerned
about the amount of time they perceive they are being
asked to spend on NSF-ACES activities.
• Development activities for endowed chairs for senior
women faculty has been slow.
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