The NSF ADVANCE program aims to increase and promote the advancement of women in academic STEM. The University of Delaware (UD) contributes to broadening the participation of women in the academy through a series of initiatives that focus on leadership development, promotion of mid-career women in STEM, development of transparent policies for faculty recruitment, retention and promotion as well as enhanced data collection on faculty and a focus on improving the climate for women faculty from underrepresented groups. Women Faculty To Leadership, the W2L program reframes campus leadership training to the top - the Office of the Provost with faculty. Campus leaders will partner with women faculty to develop strategies to lower the barriers to advancement. The data collection, through system climate studies and faculty exit interviews, will enhance the institutional knowledge of the issues that faculty encounter, particularly STEM women of color, so that the institution may develop plans for improvement.
The University of Delaware proposes a clear analytical framework that, in its simplicity, may have tremendous impact on future thinking and action. They propose a multi-level approach, the hourglass, that shows how to link the upper level administrative strategies with grassroots strategies proposed by faculty. The middle area is a space where department chairs may connect the upper and lower portions to create more balance in the system. This is the underlying rationale for the programming that composes the W2L activity and other aspects of the project. Prior research on sources of barriers for advancing women in STEM identifies department chairs and heads as key players in shaping the work climate, specifically the microclimate of the department, at colleges and universities that may slow women's progress. Another example is that UD will create a mentoring academy for department chairs to share current research on how to improve departmental climate. W2L's regional conference will help to disseminate to a national audience findings from this project related to broadening participation of women in academic STEM. The resulting a partnership of women faculty of color and university leadership will serve as a model for academia in general to become a more inclusive environment.
