Institutions Developing Excellence in Academic Leadership (IDEAL): Year Two Achievements Amanda Shaffer, Project Director, IDEAL Diana Bilimoria, Professor, Organizational Behavior, Co-PI Lynn T. Singer, Deputy Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, PI November 2011 ABSTRACT Institutions Developing Excellence in Academic Leadership (IDEAL) is a three-year NSF ADVANCE PAID project to seed gender equity transformation at five regional public institutions of higher education in northern Ohio (Bowling Green State University, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, University of Akron, and University of Toledo) and continue the institutional transformation at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). The goal of this innovative partnership is to create an institutional learning community that is empowered to develop and leverage knowledge, skills, resources and networks to transform academic cultures and enhance equity and inclusion. IDEAL adapts and disseminates the successful academic leadership development and institutional transformation methods developed by CWRU during its five-year ADVANCE Institutional Transformation initiative. This poster describes the institutional transformation themes, goals and initiatives of IDEAL’s first two years. Institutional Transformation Theme Build Intellectual Community & Collegiality Year One Goals Identify barriers and develop strategies for creating collegial interactions Year One Activities and Accomplishments Conducted climate survey and faculty focus groups spring 2010 Campus visit by Bernice Sandler Supported Faculty Senate to promote change impacting women faculty Year Two Goals Increase community and collegiality around diversity and inclusion in STEM Foster recruitment and retention of women faculty in STEM fields Year Two Activities and Accomplishments Nine STEM search committee meetings to discuss subtle bias and best practices in diversity recruiting Completed factor analysis of climate survey results IDEAL BGSU website was created Reanalysis of Climate Survey uncovered several significant differences between women and men at BGSU. The faculty-to-faculty search committee training effectively engaged STEM faculty. Will be institutionalized in Year 3 BGSU IDEAL website and blog has provided online resources for STEM faculty that have not existed in the past. Writers Club proposed to provide a new support structure for faculty productivity NSF ADVANCE IT CATALYST grant initiative Institutional Transformation Theme Enhancing Collegiality and Inclusion in Science and Engineering Year One Goals Identify faculty development needs by career stage in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS and make recommendations to the Dean Year One Activities and Accomplishments Convened CAS faculty caucuses (by rank) and developed a feasible plan for the Dean Case School of Engineering Year Two Goal Design a Launch Committee to establish new faculty at the Case School of Engineering Year Two Activities and Accomplishments Defined goals, expectations and committee structure Established assessments Piloted committee with four faculty members Developed “The Launching Committee: A How to Guide (LCG)” LCG outlines timeframe (contract signed to end of the first year), goals, expectations, committee composition, and assessment. Weatherhead School of Management Year Two Goal Conduct a pilot mentoring program for new junior faculty (under three years) Year Two Activities and Accomplishments Designed/implemented mentoring program and determined steps to institutionalize Mentees viewed program as “very effective” Mentors want program to start as soon as faculty are hired. Called an “outstanding initiative” that should be broader and more visible in WSOM. Institutional Transformation Theme Enhancing the Leadership of Women and Underrepresented Minority S&E faculty Year One Goals Identify barriers to leadership for women and URM faculty Focus on policies, practices and structures that would make leadership more attractive and feasible. Year One Activities and Accomplishments Gathered data on representation of women in leadership roles at CSU Conducted focus groups of women faculty in S&E Raised awareness of barriers to women in leadership in CSU community Year Two Goals Solicit input regarding creation of a Center for Faculty Development and Leadership Plan faculty development sessions Year Two Activities and Accomplishments Raised awareness of issues related to inclusive environments and faculty development Collected data regarding sessions and faculty interest in faculty development Based on Year One focus group identified two topics for faculty development sessions “Life Events and the Academic Career”, on April 14, 2011 (25 attendees) “Creating Inclusive and Productive Academic Environments”, April 26, 2011 (33 attendees) Forged partnership with Center for Teaching Excellence and the Institutional Diversity Office to continue the sessions in 2011/12. Institutional Transformation Theme Enhancing the Climate for Scholarly and Collegial Community in the College of Arts and Sciences Year One Goals Conduct climate survey in College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) Campus-wide discussion of the Women in Science Committee Report (2009) Develop a chair handbook and resources for a CAS available on a website Year One Activities and Accomplishments Coalition building with administrators Created IDEAL website with resources for chairs and faculty Designed, administered and analyzed climate survey of CAS faculty Year Two Goals Increase visibility of IDEAL program Provide strategies and techniques for addressing both subtle and overt bias Develop workshops based on climate survey and focus group discussion Year Two Activities and Accomplishments Disseminated Climate Survey data and held faculty focus groups Invited speakers for monthly brown-bag meetings for faculty development Increased the institutional support from the President, Provost and Office of Diversity President’s State of the University Address articulated support for IDEAL related issues Newly formed Presidential Taskforce on Women in STEM Research and Education will recommend actions to promote the participation and success of underrepresented groups at all levels of STEM education and research. ” NSF ADVANCE IT grant initiative Institutional Transformation Theme Faculty Hiring that Makes a Difference Year One Goals Create a data snapshot of recruitment, hiring and retention Interview search committee chairs, women hired in last three years and female candidates who declined positions to create a profile of UA hiring practices Year One Activities and Accomplishments Conducted search interviews and proposed improvements from national best practices on IDEAL website Compiled gender demographics of undergraduate students, and regular faculty in STEM departments Developed promotional video about the value of diversity in recruitment Year Two Goals Re-organize Year One search best practices website resources Augment HR search committee training of STEM department with best practices Year Two Activities and Accomplishments Met with new Provost, Deans and Associate Deans of the Colleges of Engineering and Arts & Sciences about low numbers of female faculty in STEM departments Collected STEM faculty potential retiree data Continued Year One hiring data collection Added Physics, Polymer Sci. and Polymer Eng. departments to IDEAL activities NSFADVANCE IT CATALYST grant initiative Institutional Transformation Theme Creating a climate for successful retention, tenure, and promotion Year One Goals Develop and administer a faculty climate survey Raise awareness of the change project and build alliances Identify at least three initiatives to address findings from the survey Year One Activities and Accomplishments Administered climate survey through Office of Institutional Research Undertook coalition building and steady communication with key administrators on campus Year Two Goals Design professional development program for women in engineering at UT Develop peer advising system and and reward structure for faculty advisors Engage STEMM Deans and Chairs about how to communicate clear expectations for tenure/advancement of all faculty Year Two Activities and Accomplishments Created the “Program for the Advancement of Women in STEMM (PAWS)” Hosted faculty outreach and networking events in School of Medicine and College of Engineering PAWS implementation discussed with and approved by the dean of Engineering Peer advising team assignments made Office of Equity and Diversity engaged to present to peer advising teams on mentoring relationships, effective meetings and other topics. NSF ADVANCE IT grant initiative