The Tennessee State University ADVANCE IT Catalyst project seeks to attract, retain, and promote women faculty engaged in STEM disciplines at TSU. The purpose of the project is to provide STEM women faculty with the support and coordination necessary to propel them to greater numbers and success in academia with an emphasis on scholarly and research productivity.
Specifically, the proposed project will collect and assess data in order to design a sustainable, institution-wide strategic and tactical plan to attract and retain tenure-track women faculty in STEM fields. IT-Catalyst support will also serve to finance provide opportunity for personnel to assemble and assess statistical data on the comparative status of TSU STEM women.
Intellectual Merit. The intellectual merit of the proposed project is grounded in several key themes, including: the systematic collection and analysis of faculty data regarding recruitment, development and retention of women, including women of color, in STEM fields at TSU; the use of comprehensive source data; and, the investigation into the suitability and effectiveness of best practices developed by emerging research institutions, research intensive institutions and ADVANCE institutions.
Broader Impacts. The broader impact of the proposed project lies in enhancing the research enterprise such that the institution builds its capacity to serve as a resource for economic growth in the region. A greater broader impact of this project is that its findings will be useful for other HBCUs and minority serving institutions and serve as an ADVANCE model for these institution types.
The Tennessee State University (TSU) ADVANCE IT-Catalyst Project assessed career advancement issues and initiatives related to women faculty engaged in STEM disciplines. The project had two primary objectives and was successful in completing them during the period of the grant. Objective 1. Bolster and complement existing institutional data collection, analysis, and infrastructure related to faculty at TSU. Outcomes include: Collection, evaluation, and summary of climate surveys from the University of Wisconsin and University of Texas, El Paso as benchmarks/samples for preparing TSU survey; Collected and documented TSU tenured/tenure-Track STEM department faculty by rank and gender; Objective 2. Assess women faculty in STEM disciplines at TSU and make recommendations for improving the pathways of these professionals. Outcomes include: Conducted focus groups for Non-STEM and STEM faculty to assess barriers and recommended strategies for career advancement; Conducted a campus climate survey resulting in 52% of the faculty; Conducted at least three (4) workshops in professional development for women faculty; Evaluated the Research Enterprise Enhancement Model for gender equity at TSU; Identified key elements for preparing an Advance IT proposal for TSU. The primary outcomes from the above activities include a strong need for mentoring of women faculty by both genders, providing more opportunities to prepare proposals for research, review of the faculty handbook to recognize work-life balance for all faculty during the tenure process, and providing competitive salaries to attract and retain quality female faculty in STEM disciplines.
