Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) leads the 46-member system of public higher education in the state. Its ADVANCE IT-Catalyst award will enable faculty and administrators to partner to develop policies and practices that allow science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) women faculty to thrive in the system, and help keep excellent faculty and important role models doing their best. IT-Catalyst awards help institutions jump-start key institutional transformation to serve the needs of the new faculty being hired as the baby boomer generation retires. MTSU will conduct a detailed self-assessment, collecting data on hiring and promotion of STEM women at MTSU. They will use a variety of social media to inform both MTSU faculty and sister institutions with similar mission and geography.
MTSU will engage multiple stakeholders in a cross-campus discussion of how to improve MTSU's recruitment, hiring, and professional development of its STEM faculty. They will host a conference to disseminate their findings across the public higher education system in Tennessee and beyond.
