UD ADVANCE PAID:Resources for Recruitment and

Retention of Women Faculty in STEM Fields

Heather Doty, PhDProgram Manager, UD ADVANCEAssistant Professor, Engineering

University of Delaware

2013 ADVANCE PI Meeting

UD ADVANCE – Key Faculty

• Dr. Pam Cook, UD ADVANCE Director, Associate Dean of Engineering; Professor, Mathematics

• Dr. Robin Andreasen, Associate Professor, Cognitive Science (head of reading group)

• Dr. Michael Chajes, Professor, Civil Engineering, PI• Dr. Kate Scantlebury, Professor, Chemistry, co-PI• Dr. Charlie Riordan, Vice Provost for Research; Professor,

Chemistry (head of Recruitment group)• Dr. Lori Pollock, Professor, Computer and Information Sciences

(head of Mentoring group)

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UD ADVANCE PAID

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• Grant held jointly by Colleges of Engineering and Arts & Sciences (natural sciences)

• Workshops “for faculty, by faculty” on:

- Faculty Recruitment- Faculty Mentoring

• Workshops adapted from University of Michigan (STRIDE) and Wisconsin (WISELI)• Started in 2008

Both workshops include a unit on cognitive shortcuts (Implicit bias)

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Workshops

• Core group of senior faculty from Engineering and Arts and Sciences formed a reading group to study cognitive shortcuts and women’s underrepresentation in STEM faculty.

• Core faculty group created and present workshops• Workshops are targeted toward

senior faculty (those most likely to chair search committees or serve as formal mentors)

• To date, over half of senior faculty in the participating departments have attended a workshop

Evolution & Outreach

• Mentee workshops for junior faculty• UD Chairs’ Caucus

• Delaware County Community College Recruitment Workshop

• Delaware State University

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Reduced faculty hiring starting in 2011 few searches and limited turnover of formal mentors. We had to adapt to stay relevant and not lose ground:

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Chemical E

ngr.

Civil & Envir.

Engr.

Computer Scie

nce

Elec. & Comp. E

ngr.

Mechanica

l Engr.

Materials

Math

Physics

Chemistry

Biology0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

200120082011

Percent Women Faculty (t/tt)

Engineering Natural Sciences

Sustainability: Our Story

• Currently supported by the President’s Diversity Initiative (one-year grant)

• Expanding to the Colleges of Health Sciences and Earth, Ocean, and Environment

• Expanding to cover race and ethnicity • New faculty reading group• Original core group rotated over time, advancing in

their own careers, taking the ADVANCE message with them

• Continue to apply for NSF funding7

Sustainability: Best Practices

• Need support and involvement from deans (at least)• Need strong faculty involvement – reading group

comprised of senior, respected faculty has been essential for us

• Workshops should promote faculty interaction, discussion

• Dedicated staffing allows program to keep going• Resources incentivize faculty participation• Make workshops and materials useful to faculty

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