Program Goal

The ISU ADVANCE Scholar Program is intended to enhance the recruitment, retention and advancement of women faculty of color in STEM disciplines. The objective is to facilitate mentoring and collaborative relationships between ISU STEM women faculty of color and eminent scholars in their fields. The target audiences are ISU tenure-eligible faculty members as well as mid-career (tenured) faculty members who are nearing critical transition points in their careers.

Benefits

Eminent Scholar (Mentor): In the first year of the mentoring relationship, the ISU ADVANCE Program will underwrite travel expenses (transportation, hotel, and meals for the eminent scholar and ADVANCE scholar) and provide a $500.00 honorarium for the Eminent Scholar to travel to ISU, deliver a departmental research seminar, and spend time conferring with the ISU ADVANCE Scholar.

ISU ADVANCE Scholar: In the first (or second) year, the ISU ADVANCE Program will underwrite travel expenses (transportation, hotel, and meals for the eminent scholar and ADVANCE scholar) for the ISU ADVANCE Scholar to visit the Eminent Scholar's home institution, deliver a research seminar, and spend time conferring with the Eminent Scholar.

Additional contacts between the Eminent Scholar and ISU ADVANCE Scholar are encouraged and should occur regularly (at least once per semester) via phone or email. In consultation with the Eminent Scholar, the ISU ADVANCE Scholar will prepare a brief plan that outlines prospective discussion topics, resource sharing, and desired outcomes of the ISU ADVANCE Scholar Program. The plan will be submitted to the ISU ADVANCE Program after the initial campus visit. ISU ADVANCE Scholars will complete and submit a brief annual report (click here for Annual Report form) at the end of the award period.

Application Process

Each interested ISU faculty member will work in conjunction with her department chair to identify a prominent scholar in her area of research who she believes would be a good mentor. After identifying the Eminent Scholar, the chair should email the ISU ADVANCE Scholar Program (contact information below) to request funding support. The email should include:

• ISU ADVANCE Scholar: Name, title, email, mailing address, and telephone number
• Eminent Scholar: Name, title, university affiliation, mailing address, email, phone number
• Estimated date of the Eminent Scholar's visit to ISU.
• Contact information for departmental representative who will coordinate the Eminent Scholar's visit (seminar and other professional activities).
• Contact information of the departmental staff member (if you have one) who will handle airline, hotel, travel reimbursement and fund accounts for the ISU Scholar and/or Eminent Scholar. If you prefer the ISU ADVANCE Office can handle all travel and reimbursements for the ISU Scholar and/or Eminent Scholar.

Upon ISU ADVANCE funding approval, an invitation letter from the President and Provost will be sent to the Eminent Scholar.

Printable Flyer of the Program

Evaluation

All ISU ADVANCE Scholars must complete a brief annual report form ISU ADVANCE Program.

Contact Information

Florence A. Hamrick, Associate Professor
ISU ADVANCE Scholar Program
515-294-9628, fhamrick@iastate.edu
www.advance.iastate.edu