NSF ADVANCE Program

Building Support for Women: Best Practice Examples

Havidán Rodríguez, PhD

Provost & Executive VP for Academic Affairs

ADVANCE Institutional

Transformation Grant 2012-2017

WWW.UTRGV.EDU/ADVANCE

UTRGV ADVANCE Program

Five-Year, $3.1 million ADVANCE Institutional Transformation

grant, funded by the NSF.

Overarching Goal: To increase the representation and

advancement of women faculty, particularly Latinas, in STEM

academic careers.

Male

[VALUE]

Female

[VALUE]

Male

66%

Female

34%

Students Fall 2016

Enrollment: 27,560

T/TT Faculty

Total: 689 STEM T/TT Faculty

Total: 219

Male

43% Female

57%

UTRGV Profile

• Increase representation of women faculty, especially Latinas:

• STEM fields

• Leadership positions

• Promote a positive workplace and climate along with

policies/practices that attract and nurture the careers of female

scholars.

ADVANCE Program Goals

ADVANCE Program Components

Recruitment Advancement Policy & Climate

Education & Empowerment

Social Science Study

Objective: Enhance Recruitment Efforts at All Stages of the Process

• Search Committee Training and Diversity

• Expanded Outreach

• Increased Pool of Interviewed Candidates & Enriched Campus Visits

Meetings with Women’s Faculty Network

• Enhanced Onboarding Processing and Mentoring

• Enhanced Startups

• Dual Career Support – Partner Hires

RECRUITMENT

FORMING THE

COMMITTEE

CRAFTING THE JOB

DESCRIPTION

ADVERTISING & OUTREACH

VETTING & INTERVIEWING

MAKING THE OFFER

RECRUITMENT

Objective: Enhance faculty and leadership development opportunities:

• Leadership Institute

• Administrative Fellows Program

• Summer Writing Retreat

• Associate-to-Full Professor Program

• Mentoring Programs

• Graduate Research Assistant Grants

• Workshops and Seminars

UTRGV Women Leadership Representation

2012: 32% 2015: 36%

ADVANCEMENT

UTRGV Women Leadership Representation

2012: 32% 2015: 36%

Objective: Enhance policies for faculty support &

improve departmental climate.

• “Family Matters” Policies

Dual Career/Partner Hires

Workload (modified instructional duties)

Family Care & Sick Leave

• Fostering Positive & Supportive Climate

Climate Surveys & Exit Interviews

Nursing Mother Suites

Department Mentoring Award

Workshops and Seminars

POLICY & CLIMATE

Objective: Promote campus awareness and workplace diversity and empower

faculty and administrators to address gender equity.

• Women’s Faculty Network (WFN)

• Search Committee Training

• Tenure & Promotion Committee Training

• Internal and External Networking Opportunities

• Seminars and Workshops on Diversity and Gender Equity

• Gender Equity Salary Adjustments

EDUCATION & EMPOWERMENT

for Enhancing the Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement of Women Faculty

BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

• Leadership from Upper Administration

• Establishing Alliances and Networks

• Frequent Communication

Provide Leadership, Build Alliances & Communicate

• Proactive & Innovative Outreach

• Excellence and Diversity

• Implicit Bias Training

Change Recruitment Attitudes & Culture

• Diversity Requirement on Search & Evaluation Committees

• Mandatory Training

• Pool Certification

• Criteria/Metric for Diversity in Administrator’s Evaluation

Add Accountability

for Enhancing the Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement of Women Faculty

BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

• Associate-to-Full Program

• Women of Color Summer Writing Retreat

• Expanding Mentoring Opportunities

• Expanding Travel Support

Support Mid-Career Faculty (Retention vs. Recruitment)

• Internal Networking: Women’s Faculty Network/ Women of Color Committee

• External Networking

• Latinas Across the Border Network

• UT System Chancellor’s Network for Women’s Leadership

• ADVANCE Regional Network for Mentoring

• Summer Writing Retreat

Provide Voice/Advocacy & Networking Opportunities

• Teaching-Release Time

• Tenure-track Faculty do not Serve in Administrative Positions

• Deans/Chairs asked to “Protect” Junior Faculty

• Junior Faculty Training on Being Strategic & Selective

Reduce Service Burden for Women & Faculty of Color, Especially TT

for Enhancing the Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement of Women Faculty

BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

• Women and Faculty of Color Speakers

• Success and Achievement Stories/Press Releases

• Women and Faculty of Color Recognition & Awards

• Dual-Career Symposium

Increase Recognition & Visibility

• Dual Career/Partner Hires

• Workload (Modified Instructional Duties)

• Tenure and Promotion (Stopping Clock)

Develop Family-Friendly Policies & Programs

• Chair Trainings & Workshops

• Equity & Diversity Advocates

• Women’s Faculty Network

• Climate Surveys

• Exit Surveys

• Department Awards

Foster Positive Campus & Departmental Climate

Observations

BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

• Institutionalization

• Sustainability

• Networking & Synergies

• Communication & Dissemination: Publicity & Media Coverage

• Incorporating ADVANCE Goals into the Fabric of UTRGV

• Enhancing Campus Climate

• Fostering Diversity

• Accountability

WE ARE