The university received a grant from the National Science Foundation ADVANCE program for a project, “Moving Beyond Boundaries to Promote Inclusive Faculty Success,” designed to create institutional change for women and other under-represented faculty in STEM areas, which include the NSF-supported social science disciplines.
ADVANCE programs are expected to utilize intersectional approaches that recognize how gender, race, ethnicity and other social identities interact to affect the experience of individuals in the workplace.
Dr. Jeanne Hossenlopp, vice president for research and innovation, serves as principal investigator on the project, which is a partnership between the Office of Research and Innovation and the Office of Inclusive Excellence, of which Dr. William Welburn is the vice president and a co-principal investigator on this grant.
Other co-principal investigators include Andrea Schneider, professor of law and the director of the Institute for Women’s Leadership; Dr. Jennica Webster, associate professor of management and co-director of the IWL; and Dr. Chris Ababei, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. Dr. Rosemary Stuart, professor of biological sciences, and Dr. John Borg, professor and chair of mechanical engineering, are senior personnel on the grant. Dr. Jean Grow, professor of strategic communication and co-director of IWL, is serving as internal evaluator for the project. Additional faculty will be added to the ADVANCE team as the program develops.
Marquette’s ADVANCE program will focus on two areas identified through campus focus groups and analysis of the university’s previous climate study: creating additional resources and strategies to assist with effective faculty recruiting and providing tools for addressing department climate issues that can impact faculty success. The ADVANCE team will draw upon national models for evidence-based practices that can be adapted for Marquette’s specific needs.
“This grant is very exciting for us,” Hossenlopp said. “We have identified some of our most pressing challenges in faculty equity in STEM and will be able to work together to address those challenges. These solutions will extend outside the STEM areas to the whole community and broadly impact how we are able to attract and support faculty. In joining the ADVANCE community, Marquette will be a part of the national dialogue for diversity in STEM.”
“This award comes at a crucial time for us,” Welburn said. “ADVANCE will help us better organize our efforts around gender equity across our university, especially at the intersections of gender and race. Dr. Hossenlopp’s persistence in leading us in this initiative is of great benefit to all of us.”
The grant will last three years, after which its implementation will be carried on by the IWL, which launched with the fall 2019 semester. Schneider, Webster and Grow were among the leadership announced for the institute on Sept. 10.
The goal of the NSF ADVANCE program is to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers, thereby contributing to the development of a more diverse science and engineering workforce. ADVANCE encourages institutions of higher education and the broader STEM community to address various aspects of STEM academic culture and institutional structure that may differentially affect women faculty and academic administrators. Marquette’s ADVANCE award is on the “adaption” track, which supports the adaptation and implementation of evidence-based organizational change strategies.