This Leadership Award will support the PI's goal of providing advancement programs for women and minority faculty in science and engineering at Tulane University. The University has a strong commitment to advancement of women faculty, indicated by the Strategic Plan, the recently established Presidential Task Force on Diversity and Equity, and an equity climate survey recently undertaken by the Task Force. Moreover, the PI, Professor Marian Walters, has extensive experience in developing similar programs for women faculty in science and medicine at the Health Science Center.
This award will support expansion of Professor Walters' efforts for underrepresented faculty to provide mentoring/networking and career development programs for women and minority faculty in science and engineering on the "Uptown" campus, as well as provide a graduate assistant for her research program. Mentoring/networking programs will include opportunities to participate in one-on-one mentoring, networking sessions at several faculty levels, seminar opportunities and faculty development sessions. Communication will be facilitated by establishing a women faculty Listserv. A biannual newsletter distributed throughout the university will highlight the accomplishments of the targeted women faculty. A limited number of travel and achievement awards will further enhance the advancement/recognition of the targeted faculty.
In conclusion, this NSF ADVANCE Leadership award will allow the PI to provide programs directed at improving diversity among the faculty in the science and engineering departments at Tulane University through activities that empower the targeted faculty members to best navigate the system and successfully advance through the faculty and administrative ranks.
