The goal of this project is to investigate the effectiveness of a multilevel participatory action model to produce institutional transformation resulting in the full participation of women faculty in science, technology, engineering and math fields in the university. This model focuses on transforming departmental cultures (views, attitudes, norms and shared beliefs), practices (what people say and do), and structures (physical and social arrangements) as well as university policies through active participation of individuals at all levels of the university. Faculty in nine focal departments, chosen from the College of Engineering, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture, will form the core department-level working groups. A three-step process for departmental transformation will include focus group and needs assessment meetings, training sessions tailored to meet the unique needs of individual departments, and collaborative problem solving sessions involving department faculty and ADVANCE program leaders. Developing and implementing best practices for fostering cultures, practices and structures of inclusion will be the goal at the department level. Department chairs and ADVANCE professors will be key change agents. At the same time, the university-wide focus will be on identification of subtle and overt impediments to equity and on policies that will help dissolve these barriers. The Provost, Associate Provost, Deans, College Equity Advisors, College Diversity Committees, Department Chairs, and ADVANCE professors will develop and transform policies to increase the transparency of decision making, institutionalize flexible career options, strengthen and expand mentoring efforts, increase awareness of administration, faculty and staff regarding issues for women in STEM fields and expand strategies specifically for advancement of women of color. Retreats and networking meetings will facilitate interactions within the university, building a community of women STEM faculty which will reduce isolation. A national conference, hosted at Iowa State University, will bring leading experts to campus to share strategies for change and provide a forum for dissemination of best practices, particularly in the area of flexible faculty careers. The Iowa State University ADVANCE Leadership Team has worked together for three years on institutional issues related to the advancement of women faculty in STEM. Led by the Associate Provost, the ADVANCE Leadership Team has hosted visits by national experts on diversity, developed and revised key policies, and developed a network of faculty and administrators who have participated in ISU STEM retreats for women. Partnerships with existing ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grantees will continue to be a key component of this on-going effort. The multidisciplinary ADVANCE Leadership Team will be centrally involved in coordinating this project with individual members serving in key roles as change agents throughout the university. Data from focal departments, colleges and the university will be gathered and used to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach in institutional transformation. Successful strategies and actions will be generalized to be implemented in other departments and at other universities. The results of this research, regarding the effectiveness of the participatory action model as a driver for institutional change, will be shared with other ADVANCE institutions and presented nationally in journals and at conferences.
Over the past six years, the Iowa State University (ISU) ADVANCE Program has become Iowa State’s most prominent program to recruit, retain, and advance women and women of color in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) faculty positions. Our approach focused on improving departmental cultures, practices, and structures, as well as university policies, through participation of individuals at all levels of the university. The ISU ADVANCE Program included both "bottom up" and "top down" approaches. Our "bottom up" activities included our signature program at the department level, in which faculty members and department chairs worked to improve the working environment in their departments. We also engaged in "top down" activities that addressed policies and practices at the college and university levels. The ISU ADVANCE Program focused on four primary goals: 1. Overcome known barriers to women’s advancement across ISU STEM fields, focusing on transparency, isolation, mentoring, and career flexibility. 2. Overcome department-specific barriers to women’s advancement in STEM. 3. Increase overall participation and advancement of women faculty in senior and leadership ranks. 4. Institutionalize positive changes at the university level. At the university level, we focused on identifying subtle and overt barriers to equity and implementing policies to dissolve these barriers. We hosted networking events, workshops, lectures, and a national meeting on faculty flexibility. We launched a mentoring program for women faculty of color. ISU’s Office of Institutional Research annually compiled data about the number of ISU faculty. We developed working partnerships with leaders across campus to 1) increase the transparency of decision-making and faculty evaluation, 2) institutionalize flexible career options, 3) enhance the process for accommodating dual career partners, 4) strengthen and expand mentoring efforts, 5) expand training for department chairs, 6) increase awareness of issues for women in science and engineering fields, and 7) expand opportunities for professional development specifically for women faculty of color. At the department level we developed a process for transformation that included (1) focus groups and faculty interviews to discuss department culture, practice and structure, (2) meetings and training sessions tailored to meet the unique needs of individual departments, and (3) collaborative problem-solving sessions involving department faculty and ADVANCE program leaders. Focal departments made both small scale and large changes to their governance documents, and advances were made in promotion and tenure policies, work-life balance, recruitment and hiring, utilization of departmental resources, and the number of women Full Professors. The ISU ADVANCE Program can claim success as measured by changes in the number of women faculty as well as changes in faculty satisfaction. From 2006 to 2011, there have been increases in the percent of women deans, department heads, higher level academic leaders, and Full Professors university wide. During this time, the number of women faculty promoted from Associate to Full Professor increased, and this increase was particularly striking in the departments that participated in our signature departmental program. Survey data indicated that faculty satisfaction improved in several areas related to work and home, including ISU’s support for raising children and making the tenure-track compatible. ISU will continue key components of ISU ADVANCE in the future. Our signature department-level program will now be implemented across campus as a part of the departmental review process. Senior faculty members will continue to lead and represent the ADVANCE Program at the college level and at the university level. An ADVANCE Faculty Fellow, housed in the Provosts Office, is leading the institutionalization of these efforts. In summary, significant progress has been made as a result of the NSF Institutional Transformation award and a culture appreciative of the value of this change has been created. We can point to several specific aspects of our program that demonstrate the National Science Foundation’s priority for broader impacts: During the years of the ISU ADVANCE Program, the number of women in leadership, including those serving as department chairs, has increased substantially. Our mentoring program for women faculty of color met with great success, demonstrated by promotions at ISU and the fact that several received prestigious awards. Our signature department-level program, which addressed faculty work practices, was implemented in a small number of departments. It has been successful in those departments and campus leaders have decided to expand the program to additional departments, even beyond the science and engineering fields. The impact of ISU ADVANCE will extend beyond Iowa State, including the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa. Successful programs, including practices for faculty hiring, will be shared with these campuses. Faculty who participated in the ISU ADVANCE Program presented information about our successes to professional organizations in their fields, including biology, engineering, sociology, and philosophy.
