National Science Foundation
ADVANCE Program
Overview
Academic institutions play a pivotal role in preparing
the science and engineering work force, and their faculty and leaders
serve
as intellectual, personal and organizational role models that
shape the expectations of future scientists and engineers,” said
Alice Hogan, the NSF ADVANCE Program Director. “Ensuring
that the climate, the policies and the practices at these institutions
encourage and support the full participation of women in all
aspects of academic life, including leadership and governance,
is critical to attracting students to science and engineering
careers.”
The NSF ADVANCE initiative seeks to increase the
participation of women in the scientific and engineering workforce
through the
increased representation and advancement of women in academic science
and engineering careers. To meet this goal, the ADVANCE program
provides award opportunities for both individuals and organizations:
Fellows Awards, Leadership Awards, and Institutional Transformation
Awards. With each of the three types of ADVANCE awards, NSF seeks
to support new approaches to improving the climate for women in
U.S. academic institutions and to facilitate women’s advancement
to the highest ranks of academic leadership. Creative approaches
to realize the goal of this program are sought from women and men.
The
Institutional Transformational Awards are part of a comprehensive
effort undertaken by NSF to diversify the scientific work force.
The intent is that activities undertaken by the awardees (currently
19 academic institutions) become models to be replicated in institutions
throughout the nation.
“Intellectual diversity helps give our nation its competitive
edge,” NSF
Director Rita Colwell said. “ADVANCE is an innovative program
that promises to challenge assumptions and inspire change in the
way we make science and engineering careers welcoming to all. These
awards represent a substantial commitment by a diverse set of institutions
to alter the way we approach participation in science and engineering
careers. I thank these colleges and universities for taking on
this challenge, and I look forward to working with them.”
Vision
LEAP began in January 2002, after receiving $3.5 million in funding
from the NSF as one of the first projects funded through the ADVANCE
initiative. This funding was matched by a further $900,000 from
the University of Colorado, Boulder.
We work with the premise that
models of effective institutional change emphasize the need to
work at multiple levels of the organization
on multiple aspects of the problem. LEAP therefore has programs
aimed at individuals and at the department level, as well as
activities promoting changes in policies at the highest levels.
The goal of
the leadership workshops is to give faculty the skills they need
to thrive within the institution. In the process, we
believe that faculty will develop an understanding of how the
institution works and of how it can be changed. The primary goal
of the coaching
program is to improve the support structure for junior faculty
and to help them achieve success at the institution. These are
key LEAP program elements.
The leadership workshops and the coaching
program, while focused on individuals, are producing a growing
community of people who
are realizing that they share a vision of a better CU. The goal
is to develop an institutional environment at CU within which different
styles and different approaches are not only accommodated but encouraged.
While LEAP cannot eliminate problems associated with “two-career
couples”, raising a family while pursuing a tenure track
appointment, or moving from an instructor position to the tenure
track, it can provide a framework within which to hold discussions
on these important issues. It can also help empower faculty to
work to create solutions within the system.
As the program matures,
it is broadening its reach and growing in influence. LEAP is working
to formulate specific policy changes
and promoting the adoption of practices that promote LEAP’s
core goal of changing the environment at CU. These include working
on the implementation of a professional code of conduct for faculty,
making chairs training compulsory, addressing changes in recruitment
practices, and encouraging the centralization of faculty development
programs.
It is our hope that LEAP will have a permanent impact
on the institution and beyond by producing a set of best practices
for any institute
to follow in fostering an inclusive environment.
Dr. Patricia Rankin
Professor of Physics
Lead PI, LEAP
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