Adams State University (ASU) will implement an ADVANCE Institutional Transformation-Catalyst (IT-Catalyst) project to undertake institutional self-assessment activities and adapt ADVANCE best practices. During year one of the project, ASU will collect institutional data, including a salary survey and recruitment pool analysis, and workload assessment, and will also conduct faculty surveys and focus groups. During year two, the team will visit ADVANCE IT institutions to learn about best practices, hold meetings with key stakeholders (faculty/chairs/administrators) to discuss data and best practices. During year three, the university will work to implement changes and incorporate them into the next iteration of the university's strategic plan
ASU provides a unique context in which to examine the recruitment, retention and promotion of women faculty in STEM disciplines. ASU is a small, primarily undergraduate, public, Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) in rural south-central Colorado. The campus has been challenged to recruit and retain women, who account for 27 percent of STEM faculty. ASU has demonstrated readiness for change; all stakeholder groups have communicated their commitment to the project, and the campus already has extensive programming and policy organized around the theme of "inclusive excellence." ADVANCE will build on this strong foundation, and the program could serve as a model for small, rural HSIs.
The ADVANCE program is focused on developing systemic approaches to increase the participation, retention, and advancement of women in academic STEM careers. The IT-Catalyst track funds projects that aim to conduct institutional self-assessments and implement ADVANCE strategies that have been shown to be effective to address gendered issues for STEM faculty.
