About ISU ADVANCE

The goal of this project is to investigate the effectiveness of a multilevel participatory action model to produce institutional transformation resulting in the full participation of women faculty in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields in the university. This model focuses on transforming departmental cultures (views, attitudes, norms and shared beliefs), practices (what people say and do), and structures (physical and social arrangements) as well as university policies through active participation of individuals at all levels of the university.

Faculty in nine focal departments, chosen from the College of Engineering, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and LIfe Sciences, will form the core department-level working groups. A three-step process for departmental transformation will include focus group and needs assessment meetings, training sessions tailored to meet the unique needs of individual departments, and collaborative problem solving sessions involving department faculty and ADVANCE program leaders. Developing and implementing best practices for fostering cultures, practices and structures of inclusion will be the goal at the department level. Department chairs and ADVANCE professors will be key change agents. At the same time, the university-wide focus will be on identification of subtle and overt impediments to equity and on policies which will dissolve these barriers.

The Provost, Associate Provost, Deans, College Equity Advisors, College Diversity Committees, Department Chairs, and ADVANCE professors will develop and transform policies to:

• Increase the transparency of decision making
• Institutionalize flexible career options
• Strengthen and expand mentoring efforts
• Increase awareness of administration, faculty and staff regarding issues for women in STEM fields
• Expand strategies specifically for advancement of women of color

Retreats and networking meetings will facilitate interactions within the university, building a community of women STEM faculty which will reduce isolation. A national conference, hosted at Iowa State University, will bring leading experts to campus to share strategies for change and provide a forum for dissemination of best practices, particularly in the area of flexible faculty careers.

Data from focal departments, colleges and the university will be gathered and used to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach in institutional transformation. Successful strategies and actions will be generalized to be implemented in other departments and at other universities. The results of this research, regarding the effectiveness of the participatory action model as a driver for institutional change, will be shared with other ADVANCE institutions and presented nationally in journals and at conferences.

The Iowa State University ADVANCE Leadership Team has worked together for three years on institutional issues related to the advancement of women faculty in STEM. Led by the Associate Provost, the ADVANCE Leadership Team has hosted visits by national experts on diversity, developed and revised key policies, and developed a network of faculty and administrators who have participated in ISU STEM retreats for women. Partnerships with existing ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grantees will continue to be a key component of this on-going effort. The multidisciplinary ADVANCE Leadership Team will be centrally involved in coordinating this project with individual members serving in key roles as change agents throughout the university.

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