Engineering & Science Careers in Academia, Learning from ADVANCE & Translating Effectively NSF# Social, Behavioral, & Economic Sciences ADVANCE-PAID: Partnerships for Adaptation, Implementation, & Dissemination

Interdisciplinary Project Team

Overview How do women’s numbers in science and engineering vary? What do studies of women suggest? What have NSF ADVANCE grantees found effective for institutional climate change and support of women faculty? What are Project ESCALATE’s plans and goals?

WOMEN’S NUMBERS IN ACADEMIC CAREERS IN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

Women’s Degrees, % of total

Women’s Engineering Degrees, %

STUDIES OF WOMEN IN ACADEMIC CAREERS IN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

Men|Mars:Women|Venus? Widely believed that men faculty are one way and women another, and all women’s experiences are similar. Research contradicts this: Considerable variation exists and Relates to the proportion of women in a particular department, and to the era when one entered academia (Etzkowitz et al., 2000; Kulis, 1998).

The “Dream” of a Critical Mass Dream: Circumstances will improve when a “critical mass” (women > 15%) accumulated (Kanter, 1977). Reality: Three divisions emerged: “Token” (<15%), “Minority” (from 15-60%), “Majority” (>60%) (Etzkowitz et al., 2000). Women’s parity point is 60% of total.

“Key Barriers” Research Sue Rosser & Eliesh Lane (2002, JWMSE) Surveyed NSF POWRE awardees, all NSF Directorates (398 academic faculty, assistant profs, 67% response rate)

Significant Challenges Balancing work/family (70%) Low numbers, isolation (22%) Gaining credibility (20%) 2-career problems (18%) Time management (14%) Backlash & discrimination (12%)

Rosser & Lane Policy Suggestions Balancing career & family Stop the tenure clock for family leave Provide on-site day-care Dual-career hires Low numbers & “stereotyping” (acting as if women are of a “type”) Focus on differences among women, and different situations faced in different disciplines Improve access to networks of professional information Limit demands for extra service and teaching

Rosser & Lane Policy Suggestions Funding & Tenure Develop grant-writing workshops Recognize changes in funding practices and women’s increased challenges Overt Discrimination Establish [and enforce] policies against sexual harassment and other discrimination Train all faculty and administration in these policies, as well as in cultural and national differences w.r.t. U.S. expectations

Summary Improving underrepresented faculty’s experiences suggest the importance of: Diminishing isolation, and expanding connections to networks within their discipline, Not merely teaching these faculty how to survive in the situations, but Helping colleagues develop a keener sense of the complexity of their colleagues’ circumstances, and Changing academic cultures and climates to better support all faculty’s scientific and engineering productivity.

NSF ADVANCE INITIATIVES

ADVANCE Initiatives Institutional Transformation (IT) Innovative systemic organizational approaches to transform institutions of higher education Institutional Transformation Catalyst (IT- Catalyst) Support institutional self-assessment activities prior to IT grant Partnerships for Adaptation, Implementation, and Dissemination (PAID) Extend earlier IT findings to new circumstances

ESCALATE: ADVANCE-PAID at WSU

ESCALATE Goals Address two issues interfering with building a faculty representative of society: Women’s isolation from information & collegiality networks needed for success in academic science and engineering Lack of awareness about how cultures of academic science and engineering impact women and about ways to better account for women’s needs and interests

Initiatives Reducing Isolation Women’s Career Development Initiatives Annual Career Symposium Career Networking Meetings Web Resource for Career Advancement Wider Horizons (connecting with women from other institutions) and..

Career Development Grants $80,000 spread over 4 years $ each - To pay expenses related to critical career steps: meet with mentor, bring in expert (e.g., colloquium), add resources for research, & visit funding agencies Selection Criteria Solicit applications via Staged deadlines for fall, winter, and spring/summer Justify amount, dates, & purpose, relate to critical career steps and to potential for dept. funding Chair’s brief recommendation (Initiatives Reducing Isolation, cont’d)

Institutional Change Initiatives Institutional Transformation Resource Team (did not take hold) UM Theater Group (well attended and seen as helpful) Urban Presence (a hit with CC students and their families) Departmental Transformation Self-study and change in two engineering departments (did not take root, instead sponsored a University of Wisconsin workshop “Searching for Excellence and Diversity”)

Administrative Support High-level administrative support ensured: Helping ESCALATE team better understand WSU, by providing institutional data (necessary to understand faculty numbers, as well as to field Climate Surveys) Participation in ESCALATE activities Awareness of, and skill practicing, subtle ways to encourage women faculty

Thank you. Website: escalate.wayne.edu