The UC - Denver IT Catalyst project will acquire and analyze baseline faculty data as a mechanism for preparing the institution for transformation to comprehensively support women faculty in the STEM disciplines. Because women are underrepresented among STEM faculty, especially at the rank of Full Professor, this project will conduct both quantitative and qualitative assessments of the status of women in science at UCD, focusing on the STEM disciplines but also including the social and behavioral sciences. Specifically, this project will address three specific aims: 1) Acquire and analyze qualitative and quantitative baseline data regarding the current status of women faculty in STEM+ departments at UC Denver, 2) Gather information about best practices, lessons learned, pitfalls, and progress from ADVANCE-IT recipient institutions and other established and successful programs supporting women in STEM+ disciplines, and 3) Use the information gathered in Specific Aims 1 and 2 to develop a cooperative plan with the campus administration for institutional transformation that supports women faculty in STEM disciplines throughout their careers at UC Denver.
Intellectual Merit: The UC Denver IT Catalyst project will shed light on the degree to which University policies and work/life issues affect professional outcomes for women faculty using an emperically-based foundation.
Broader Impacts: This project has potential to positively impact retention and advancement at other Colorado colleges and Universities and other campuses in the CUSystem, particularly the medical school with which this regional campus as most recently become associated. An important component of the project includes dissemination of findings and plans to the larger academic and scientific community through national meetings and conferences. Also, it is anticipated that an institutional transformation plan will be beneficial for all UCD faculty, students and staff and can be a model for other similar institutions.
