The WeLEAD program at Idaho State University develops and implements interventions to increase the number and improve the progression of STEM faculty to full professor and into leadership positions. The program sponsors career development workshops for new associate professors, as well as an annual research symposium; facilitates internal and external grant applications; and provides opportunities for STEM faculty to attend leadership workshops. Seed grants and travel funds are awarded for developing new research programs, and to facilitate collaborative research projects, manuscripts, and grant proposals. To keep the pipeline full for mid-career interventions, networking opportunities are provided with STEM faculty by meeting with candidates at the on-site interview, and reconnect with them at new faculty orientation and scheduled events. The intellectual merits of this proposal include obtaining a clear understanding of how models for promoting STEM faculty can be applied effectively to a geographically isolated and economically disadvantaged institution. The broader impacts of the project maximize the contribution of scientists as academic leaders and role models for aspiring scientists in Idaho, as well as to serve as a model for advancing faculty regardless of discipline or gender.
