The goal of RAMP-UP, Rensselaer's Program for Institutional Transformation, is to reform university advancement processes to increase the participation of women in the senior ranks, particularly in science and engineering. Using a model of professional self-regulation, RAMP-UP puts the work of reforming academic advancement squarely in the hands of the self-regulating mechanisms found at all levels of the university at the department, at the school, at the university, and on the professions as a whole. RAMP-UP builds on a deep understanding of the systemic issues to reform advancement processes starting at the department level. Pipeline departments ( departments that have succeeded in bringing in women into the junior ranks, but still lack a senior presence ) will focus on enhancing the departmental environment to support the full participation of women faculty with the goal of identifying and recruiting senior researchers from industry. Cluster departments ( departments that have already developed significant clusters of women ranging from junior through senior ranks) will work to reform advancement processes by developing departmental Guides to Advancement and investing in community building. Transformation Departments (departments that have barriers to post-tenure advancement) will pursue an in-depth understanding of the departmental dynamics that contribute to the barriers for post-tenure women, and will implement faculty development plans to alleviate the institutional barriers to advancement.
RPI also plans to further develop a program of School-level Faculty Advocates to serve as advocates and advisors for individual faculty members, and to lead an effort to produce School Guidelines that will make annual review more transparent, fair, and consistent. To make advancement processes more equitable at the university level, Ramp-Up is directing three activities. First, under the auspices of the Faculty Senate, a Faculty Senate Task Force for the Revision of the Faculty Handbook is codifying advancement processes. Second, an Open BioSketch database is being created to provide decision makers and candidates with concrete information about prior successful cases of advancement. Third, an Institute Advocate, in a new three-year faculty position within the Office of Institute Diversity, has begun to serve as a liaison between individual faculty and the university hierarchy at all levels including promotion and tenure deliberations. At the national level, Ramp-Up will partner with senior ADVANCE faculty on projects targeted to reforming professional associations, including Publications Guidelines for Bias-Free Review to assist academic publications to implement double blind peer review.
This project's intellectual merit is reflected in the application of the conceptual framework of professional self-regulation to systematically address reform through a series of projects integrated across all levels of the profession. The broader impact of this work will be in providing another model for advancement reform, in the context of a private polytechnic research university.
The RAMP-Up program at Rensselaer was designed to support women faculty as they advance in their academic careers. Emphasis was placed on the crucial transitions between ranks, especially promotion to full professor, a point where many women hit a barrier. RAMP-Up nurtured women at every point of their professorial careers and groomed them for leadership positions using a wide variety of support activities and methods. Each of our major initiatives is outlined below, followed by the outcomes that we achieved through the program. SEMINARS – Over the course of the grant, RAMP-Up offered 32 professional development events to women faculty on a broad range of career-related topics. The events varied from all day retreats to hour-long meetings, and afforded women an opportunity to network in a congenial environment. The seminar series was highly rated in exit surveys done by participants. Wide-ranging topics included such offerings as: Creativity and Productivity in Research, Negotiating and Mentoring Workshops, and Dealing with Challenging Students. TECH VALLEY CONNECT – This unique program was created to address barriers to relocation that affect the recruitment and retention of women scholars. Tech Valley Connect is a regional partnership of PhD-hiring employers aimed at helping high-level couples settle into their new community. Each member of the Tech Valley Connect consortium is asked to commit to providing high-level informational interviews with decision makers to an accompanying partner whose field may be connected to their specialty. These are carefully tailored discussions focused on assisting the ‘spouse/partner’ in finding ideal employment through substantive professional networking. At this time, Tech Valley Connect has served 112 families and arranged 89 informational interviews. There are 39 Consortium members spread throughout the Capital District and nearby locations, as well as 10 major sponsors. Tech Valley Connect has been spun off as a self-supporting non-profit organization and will continue its activities beyond the grant termination. CAREER CAMPAIGN AWARDS – In this initiative, candidates requested support for strategic activities to enhance their careers. Each proposer reviewed her current position and outlined a plan for advancement. A letter of commitment and support from a mentor was also required. The awards, which ranged from five to seven thousand dollars, were used to support travel to conferences or research sites, targeted equipment and supplies, and/or student assistance. Over the course of the grant, 27 women were supported by Career Campaign Awards. FACULTY COACHES – The role of the Faculty Coach is to provide advice and assistance to faculty on advancement issues. The coach participates in advancement reviews at the respective school level as a non-voting member and consults with school leadership on advancement issues. The coach meets individually with each woman faculty member in the school and arranges events that support their career success. The coach provides an additional resource for women, who are often shut out of informal mentoring pathways. OUTCOMES – Over the course of the grant, the position of women faculty at Rensselaer has been improving. The numbers of women are increasing, more women are achieving higher rank and moving into leadership positions, and fewer women are leaving voluntarily. In the School of Science, the percentage of women faculty has increased from 19.3% to 21.2%, while in Engineering the percentage has grown from 9.1% to 13.1%. The size of the faculty has not been increasing over this period, and the number of hires has been low, making it difficult to realize major shifts in faculty demographics. On the other hand, there has been a very significant increase in women at higher ranks. The percentage of women associate professors has risen from 24% to 30%, largely due to promotions in the School of Engineering. At the full professor level, the percentage of women has increased from 10% to 15%, with the greatest change in the School of Science. The number of women department heads is rising and, for the first time, two of the five schools are headed by women deans, including the School of Science. RESEARCH FINDINGS – The careers of 2900 faculty at 14 universities were examined to detect patterns of hiring, promotion, and retention by gender. The fraction of women hired into Science and Engineering positions has risen slowly over the twenty year span of the study, but, at 27%, is still far from the goal of gender parity. Results also show that for the population as a whole, men and women are retained and promoted at the same rate. An exception is in the field of mathematics, where both men and women leave early. The median time to departure is 7.33 years for men and just 4.45 years for women. The study was published in Science and received wide attention through a Science podcast, articles in Nature and the Chronicle of Higher Education, and pieces in various local newspapers and radio stations.
