NSF-ADVANCE IT at NMSU History and Successes Tracy M. Sterling*, Lisa M. Frehill, Pam Hunt and Shawn Werner NSF-ADVANCE & NM-PAID New Mexico State University *Now at MSU, Dept. Land Resources & Environmental Sciences

NSF-ADVANCE: Institutional Transformation –New gender equity effort for NSF – 2001 –Issues prompting NSF-ADVANCE Women not being hired into academia Early career awards were not working S&E labor force was not keeping pace with demand –Goals: Increase women’s representation among STEM faculty and administration Transform academia –37 institutions funded, four rounds

Sex and Race Distribution for PhD Recipients Compared to NMSU Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty

Major reasons for under-representation of women in STEM disciplines Pipeline Chilly climate Family/work balance Unconscious bias Source: Handelsman et al Science 309:1190; Handelsman, J DNA and Cell Biology 27: Valian, 1999, ‘Why so slow? Advancement of Women’.

Arranged by: Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology; Percent Female Among Doctorate Recipients, 2005

Arranged by: Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology; Percent URM Among Doctorate Recipients U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents, 2005

Major reasons for under-representation of women in STEM disciplines Pipeline Chilly climate Lack of mentoring –Being the ‘one’ can be isolating –Reliance on informal mentoring Competition vs. Collegiality Family/work balance Unconscious bias

Major reasons for under-representation of women in STEM disciplines Pipeline Chilly climate Family/work balance –Timing –Multiple Postdoc positions –Partner more likely to have PhD Unconscious bias

NMSU-ADVANCE: Approach Recruitment Initiatives Retention & Advancement Initiatives Policy Change Initiatives Data analysis & Dissemination

Data Source: NMSU Institutional Research, Planning, and Outcomes Assessment Number Recruitment STEM new hires at NMSU Pre- and Post-ADVANCE

STEM new hires at NMSU (% Females) Data Source: NMSU Institutional Research, Planning, and Outcomes Assessment

Women as a Percentage of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty at NMSU

Retention and Advancement Initiatives Specific to female tenure-track in STEM –Start-up Augmentation Depts/Colleges responsible for most of package Encouraged broader applicant pool –Research and Travel Awards 36 women received $500,000 –Distinguished Visiting Professors Program

Engagement across University –Department Head Training –ADVANCING Leaders: Leadership Development Program Two nominees from each of 6 Colleges and the Library –Mentoring Program Program has grown from 31 participants in 2002 to 133 participants in 2010 Equal participation by men and women –Faculty Development Promotion & Tenure Workshops Development Training Retention and Advancement Initiatives

Mentoring as a Key Transformative Strategy at NMSU Mentoring encourages development of social ties –Addresses a variety of career needs –Improves Teaching, Research, Job Satisfaction –Formal vs. Informal Avoid “boundary heightening” -- Should not “look” like a gender-based approach (Kanter 1977) Approach at NMSU - Make Mentoring Normative –Annual pairings –Mentor training and networking events all year

(1) Connect mentees to mentors who are more central and have denser social networks Mentor Mentor’s community contacts Institutional Information & resources Mentor’s colleagues Mentee

(2) On-campus on-going events Create a larger community of mentors and mentees. Social Networking

Programmatic Practices Make mentoring normative –Practice: paired ALL new STEM faculty with mentors outside their department, but within College. –Invite senior faculty and administrators to participate –Incorporated mentoring into leadership development programming Encourage interactions –Practice: pairs complete agreements –Practice: facilitated group interactions luncheons, assigned seating, table topics—not always with speaker mixers, dinners, picnics, open houses Training: mentors –Share best practices and hints –Increases connections among people with a positive orientation to mentoring –Encourage non-hierarchical practices –Gender and ethnic equity issues

- 133 participants; Both genders participating equally STEM females All STEM STEM, Social & Behavioral Sci. All Colleges

Data Source: Institutional Research, Planning, and Outcomes Assessment Retention and Advancement

Policy Change Initiatives President’s Commission on the Status of Women –Regular review of data, salaries within rank –Proposed University Omsbuds position – now in place –Gender equity / maternity policies – in preparation Promotion and Tenure Policy Revision –Transparent criteria and roles –Flexibility –Allocation of Effort Employee Climate Survey – now every 3 years Exit Interviews

NMSU - ADVANCE: Institutionalization -Sustainability of programs -Fully-funded Associate Director Position -To continue campus-wide faculty development -Mentoring, P&T, Leadership training, DH Training -Seeking sources for start-up funds -President’s CSW, Omsbuds, Employee Climate Survey Additional Funding –Legislative Initiative (Advancing Faculty Diversity) –Development Campaign –NSF-PAID – Partnering with NMT, UNM, LANL To disseminate best practices

Partners: LANL, NMT, NMSU and UNM To disseminate NMSU’s best practices of: –Mentoring, P&T Training, Department Head training –Pipeline focus on Post-docs Sustainable mechanisms for Institutional Transformation NSF-ADVANCE PAID – Partnerships for Adaptation, Implementation and Dissemination NM-PAID “Alliance for Faculty Diversity”

NM-PAID Goals Increase knowledge of Diversity Issues and Strategies –Mentoring approaches –Promotion and tenure issues –Department Head training Institutionalize sustainable grass roots structure for faculty development training –Sustainable grass-roots committees at each institution Supported by upper administration Including women and men –Annual Department Head Retreats to promote diversity leaders within the ranks Provide a pipeline to STEM careers for diverse students –Postdoc and student training –Participation in the professoriate