Perspectives in Institutional AdvancementConnect@RIT—Creating Opportunity Networks for Engagement and Collective Transformation: Increasing the Representation and Advancement of Women Faculty—combines theory and practice to advance a critical institutional goal. Connect@RIT focuses on institutional advancement of female faculty within the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines, including social and behavioral sciences (SBS). The overall project is led by Margaret Bailey (PI), and Kerry Ivers serves as the Connect@RIT Project Manager.

The project model is based on social resources theory, which suggests that individuals accomplish goals by gaining access to their networks, identifying social resources and mobilizing them to accomplish an objective. Connect@RIT utilizes a multi-frame organizational analysis approach that encompasses four strategic areas:

• Structural (led by Maureen Valentine)• Political (led by Margaret Bailey)• Human Resources (led by Carol Marchetti)• Symbolic (led by Sharon Mason)

Each area provides a frame or lens to view the organization and to serve as the basis for the strategic approaches designed to modify the organization. An additional emphasis is being placed upon interventions to address the needs of key sub-population faculty members, including women of color (WoC - led by Kijana Crawford) and deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH - led by Sue Foster).

Connect@RIT interventions and resources developed through the four strategic areas are based on Social Resources Theory. Social networking behavior (SNB - led by John-Paul Hatala) is an additional research component supporting the program’s development. The dynamic, interconnected elements of the project are reflected in the lens motif. Each area offers a different look at RIT as an organization, and each is represented by a different hue.

As you navigate this poster, consider the positive changes that can result from the activities planned for each of the strategic areas. Each area presents significant opportunities to effect meaningful change. However, this program’s greatest strength lies in its ability to collectively enhance resources and encourage a holistic transformation at RIT.

Connect@RIT Dissemination Plan and Website

• The Connect@RIT Dissemination Committee is a subset of all the participants in the project. Participants are spearheading dissemination activities associated with their strategic area, with support from the Project Manager.

• The Connect@RIT team has developed a multi-faceted dissemination plan designed to reach campus-wide, local, national, and international audiences.

• The dissemination plan features internal and external communication and outreach strategies intended to engage stakeholders at many levels. The Information Sharing Matrix (show here) summarizes the team’s approach for sharing project results, lessons learned and promising practices.

• A new website has been developed for Connect, which features an enhanced layout and design, easy-to-find contact information, user-friendly text and quick links for current events and project news.

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HR1. Refine the RIT Faculty Mentoring Network • IncorporateuniqueelementsforD/HHwomenand

WoC based on findings from the social science research. • Addnewfeaturessuchasweb-basedcareercoaching

training, career mapping, and affinity groups.

HR2. Launch Leadership and Career Development Program for Female Faculty• Addresssponsorship,influence,conflictresolution,

negotiations, and terminal degree attainment.• Includeuniqueelement(s)forD/HHwomenandWoC

faculty.

HR3. Launch Leadership & Career Development Grants for Female Faculty

HR4. Launch Connectivity Series • Demonstratehowtobuildnetworks,leverageresources

and use a Social Network Management System.

HR5. Administer Faculty Salary Studies• CollaboratewithIRandHRtoestablishasystematic

procedure for conducting annual faculty salary studies - by gender, college, department, rank, and race/ethnicity. Incorporate dissemination to foster transparency.

HR6. Create Childcare & Personal Needs Committee• Conductaneedsandusagesurvey,develop

recommendations, and undergo a costs/benefits analysis.

Human Resources

Leadership & Career Development CommitteeLed by C. Marchetti, co-PI (HR1, HR2, HR3)

Network Resources: JP Hatala, co-PI & C. Sattler, Ctr Women & Gender (HR4); J. Bender, Asst VP HR & C. Graham, Asst VP IR (HR5); R. Dinoto, MH Child Care Center (HR6)

WoC and D/HH Women Faculty Research GroupsLed by K. Crawford, SP and S. Foster, SP (HR1, HR2, HR3, HR4, HR6)

Child Care & Personal Needs CommitteeLed by C. Marchetti, co-PI (HR6)

Wallace Center Staff - L. Wild, SP, A. Canale, and C. Herdklotz (HR1, HR2, HR3)

Support Staff Kerry Ivers, Project Manager and RIT Students: Stephanie Dymek and Camila Gomez Serrano

Human Resources Strategic ApproachCarol Marchetti, Co-PI

Structural

COACHE Implementation TeamLed by M. Valentine (co-PI)

Network Resources:J. Bender, Asst. VP HR; R. Baker (SP); C. Licata, Associate Provost; K. McDonald (SP)

Connect Policy Committee M. Valentine ( co-PI), M. Bailey (PI), K. Martin (HR) (S2, S3)

Associate Dean’s CouncilLed by C. Licata, Associate Provost (S2, S3, S4, S5)

Support Staff Kerry Ivers, Project Manager and Students

Partners OrganizationIncludes representatives from Rochester area academic and non-academic partners (S5) and involves K. McDonald (SP)

Structural Strategic ApproachMaureen Valentine (co-PI)

Symbolic SY1. World-Wide Exposure to IT Project•Provide high-level exposure to the Connect@RIT project

through creation of a highly visible website accessible from the university’s homepage. This summative page will list all available opportunities offered by the grant.

SY2. Eminent Scholars Program•Develop an Eminent Scholars Program to enable mentoring

and collaboration by pairing early-career RIT female faculty members with prominent senior female or male faculty from outside of RIT. Two annual exchanges will occur between the scholar pairs.

SY3. Local Dissemination at RIT•Create methods of broader dissemination at the local level

for RIT faculty, staff, and students to learn about the overall project, its need and goals, and the ways in which people can become involved.

SY4. External Advisory Committee•The external advisory committee (EAC) will meet for

an annual one-day summit focused on grant activities.Annual meetings will include a debriefing with the upper administration regarding visit findings.

Network Resources: All co-PIs and senior personnel, social scientist teams

Internal Advisory Committee (IAC), Executive Advisory Committee (ExAC), External Advisory Committee (EAC) and Dean’s Council

Eminent Scholars CommitteeLed by S. Mason, co-PI (SY2)

Wallace Center Staff Reporting to L. Wild, SP(SY3)

Consultant & Support Staff Web Developer, Project Manager, Students

Critical Thinking Committee Led by S. Mason, co-PI (SY1-4 & General Grant Activities)

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (D/HH)*Key Activities:•Monitor and provide feedback to the larger Connect@

RIT team regarding the accessibility and effectiveness of university wide project initiatives for D/HH women.

•Collect, analyze, and report results for D/HH women that parallel the overall research of the project.

Communication within the D/HH team is multi-modal (e.g., American Sign Language (ASL), voice or total communication). The online community Connect@RIT D/HH Team (Connect@NTID) will facilitate asynchronous group communication via full-team and small group e-mails, threaded discussion pages, and shared content of project materials. Skype, Facetime, and Google Hangouts will be utilized as needed for multi-modal conversations. Interpreters will be present at every team meeting to assure seamless communication among all team members.

Each team member has a specific focus: Susan Foster (team leader and focus group interviews); Deborah Blizzard (cross cultural and universal themes); Denise Kavin (focus group

Women of Color (WoC)Key Activities:

•Collect and analyze institutional data•Thoroughly review the university’s diversity

initiatives and policies.•Design the focus group protocols and individual

interviews.•Propose and assess interventions.

The Women of Color (WoC) social science research component will be managed by team leader Kijana Crawford (SP) and the organizational structure of this effort is shown in the chart to the left.

Research team members include: Henry Hinesley (Center for Women and Gender), Andrea Hickerson (COLA faculty member), Dena Swanson and Norm Williams (consultant). Laurie Clayton (Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Internal Evaluator) serves as an advisor of the team.

Team Members: Andrea Hickerson,Henry Hinesley, Dena Swanson, and Norm Williams

Advisory Group: Nick DiFonzo, Jamie Winebrake, and Katie Terezakis

Facilitators: Dena Swanson and Valarie Sinclair-Chapman

ConnectWoC@RIT Social Science Research Kijana Crawford, SP

Quantitative Research: Sara Schley and Richard Dirmyer

Universal Design:Deborah Blizzard

Connect@NTID Social Science Research Susan Foster, SP

Accessibility:Wendy Dannels, Annemarie Ross, and Diane Heyden

Key Activities:

• Survey men and women faculty about behaviors and perceptions related to retention and advancement.

• Conduct biannual surveys to monitor changes in behaviors and attitude related to Connect@RIT interventions.

Social networking behavior research, led by co-PI John-Paul Hatala and co-investigator Bogdan Yamkovenko, will examine how programming across the four strategic areas influences recruitment, retention and advancement of female faculty. Efforts will be informed by and coordinated with the WoC and D/HH social science research groups.

Two graduate assistants will provide support during all aspects of the research. A consultant will review research methodology as well as data analysis and provide support when necessary.

Social Networking Behavior (SNB)

Research Assistants: Graduate Students

Network Resources:Carol Marchetti, co-PI

WoC and D/HH WomenFaculty Research GroupsLed by K. Crawford, SP and S. Foster, SP

Consultant:To Be Determined

Support Staff:Kerry Ivers, Project Manager

Social Networking Behavior Social Science ResearchJohn-Paul Hatala, co-PI and Bogdan Yamkovenko, co-Investigator

NSF Connect@RIT Dissemination Plan (1209115), 2/18/2013

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Table 1. NSF ADVANCE Connect@RIT Information Sharing Matrix

Outreach Method

Target Audience

Internal (RIT) External (Academic) External (Community-at-Large)

Interpersonal

Informal conversations with faculty and staff members (e.g. provost)

Participation (attendance) at department faculty meetings

Focus group sessions Personal interaction with on-

campus individuals and depts../divisions regarding grant activities

Interaction before, during and after Connect@RIT programs

Eminent Scholar Program External Advisory Board Participation in webinars

Discussions with peer institutions at annual NSF ADVANCE PI Institute

Information sharing with faculty and mentors from other NSF ADVANCE institutions via our participation in AIM.

Facebook and twitter announcements regarding key programs and findings

Presentations

RIT Directors, Department Head and Chairs Meeting

RIT Academic Senate College-wide faculty meetings Various university leadership

meetings Provost updates NSF ADVANCE Connect@RIT website

Academic Conferences (See Table 2)

NSF ADVANCE Connect@RIT website

Connect@RIT informational posters

Local, Regional and State Women’s Groups, including Rochester Women’s Network

NSF ADVANCE Connect@RITwebsite

Documents / Publications

Athenaeum – campus wide newspaper printed and posted electronically once every two months. Features in-depth articles about a wide range of activities and developments at RIT.

NTID Focus - a biennial magazine distributed nationally to various NTID audiences.

Faculty Career Development Services (FCDS) Newsletter (quarterly)

Research at RIT Magazine The University Magazine Connect@RIT website

Academic Journals (See Table 3 for list of potential journals)

National (non-peer reviewed) publications

Local women’s publications (e.g., herRochester.org)

Local news (D&C, local news stories, Many Voices, Many Visions)

NSF ADVANCE Connect@RITwebsite

Symbolic Strategic ApproachSharon Mason, co-PI

interviews); Wendy Dannels, Diane Heyden, and AnnMarie Ross (program accessibility audits and development of D/HH interventions), Sara Schley (institutional data base analysis and D/HH surveys). The following team consultants will also be involved: Patricia DeCaro (qualitative data analysis and cross-cultural themes) and Rich Dirmyer (institutional data base analysis).

PoliticalP1. Align RIT Office of Diversity and Inclusion •Create synergy between the Office of Diversity and

Inclusion (ODI) and Connect@RIT.

P2. Analyze and Disseminate NSF ADVANCE Indicators •Collaborate with IR, HR, and Academic Affairs to create

and refine systems to collect, assemble, and report data.

P3. Formalize the President’s Commission on Women

P4. Advisory Team for Unique Circumstances Related to Gender-Related Bias •Work with HR and the Center for Women and Gender

to address gender-related bias in the workplace.

P5. Launch Department Head Education Program•Connect@RIT and the Wallace Center will create an

education program for department heads to support skills and competency development so they can better guide and manage faculty through various career stages.

P6. Launch Department Head Grants Program •Financially support creative department-level efforts

proposed by department heads that align with Connect@RIT goals.

P7. Launch Faculty Life-Cycle Advisor Program •Create and incorporate a college-level Faculty Life-Cycle

Advisor (FLCA) Program in the faculty recruitment process.

Department Head Career Development CommitteeLed by M. Bailey, co-PI (P5, P6)

Network Resources:M. Cooper, VP Student Affairs (P3), D. Lane, Ctr Women & Gender (P4); H. Flores, SP K. Mayberry, SP and K. McDonald, SP –members of the Executive Advisory Committee (P4), J. Graham, Asst VP IR and S. Provenzano, Asst VP AA (P2)

SNB, WoC and D/HH Research GroupsLed by J. Hatala, co-PI, K. Crawford, SP and S. Foster, SP

Office of Diversity and Inclusion Staff Reporting to McDonald, SP and Baker, SP (P1, P7)

Wallace Center Staff Reporting to L. Wild, SP

Political Strategic ApproachMargaret Bailey, PI

HR Staff Reporting to Bender (P2)

Support Staff: Kerry Ivers, Project Manager and Stephanie Dymek

* For more information about RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), please visit http://www.ntid.rit.edu/about or use the QR code provided here.

Qualitative Research:Denise Kavin

For more information about the website and other dissemination efforts, please visit the web: http://nsfadvance.rit.edu/ or use the QR code provided here.

Q4/12 Q1/13 Q2/13 Q3/13 Q4/13J A N U A R Y A P R I L J U L Y O C T O B E RO C T O B E R

D E C E M B E R M A R C H J U N E S E P T E M B E R D E C E M B E R

•Connect@RIT website revision process initiated

• Full-time faculty invited to participate in the COACHE survey

•Align with diversity initiatives through regular communication on project activities

•NSF Reporting (Organization Plan and Detailed Project Timeline )

•Connect research and progress disseminated on campus and in academic publications

•Benchmarking for Women’s Commission initiated

•NSF Reporting (Dissemination and Evaluation Plans)

• Finalize survey design, IRB review and hire graduate assistant and consultant for Social Networking Behavior (SNB) research

•Newly designed Connect@RIT website goes live

• Facultyexitsurveyfinalized

•WoC focus group conducted

•D/HH focus group conducted

•Eminent Scholars program begins design stage

•Changes to the tenure policy proceed through the faculty governence process.

•Measure baseline and conduct needs assessment Department Head Education

•Prepare conceptual paper on social networking behavior

•Measure baseline, conduct benchmarking and develop conceptual design for Department Head Grants

•Connectivity program launched

• Information about Connect research and progress shared on campus (or Eminent Scholars program begins

•NSF Advance Indicators report created and disseminated

•WoC identify and propose possible interventions

•Networking Research Survey Parts 1 and 2; prepare paper examining what predicts SNB

•NSF Annual Report

•External Advisory Committee meeting convened

• Faculty Mentoring and Leadership Development - announced on website and firstprogramconducted

• Leadership Development Grants launched

•Conduct needs assessment and prepare conceptual design for Faculty Life-Cycle Advisor program

•Assess the effectiveness of thefirstroundoffacultyexitsurveys

•Detailed design of Faculty Salary Study complete and ready for 2014 Q1 launch TI

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This poster is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1209115.

S1. Campus-Wide Faculty Survey •Administer a campus-wide faculty climate survey on a

triennial basis through COACHE, beginning in 2012, to all full-time faculty.

S2. Faculty and Department Head Annual Review Template•Evaluate available external annual review templates;

develop templates for faculty and department chairs; and establish best practices. Build support for the review template; implement a pilot; and assess the effectiveness of the templates.

S3. Academic Policy/Procedure Revisions •Actively participate on the Academic Senate Sub-committee

on Faculty Affairs to address important university policies, such as tenure clock extension and grievance.

S4. Faculty Exit Interviews •Continue to work with the Office of the Provost, HR and

the Office of Faculty Recruitment and Retention to establish a faculty exit interview process and data dissemination plan.

S5. Dual Career Hire Initiatives •Review and revise current practices to assist faculty

partners’ successful pursuit of employment in the Rochester area and enhance the overall relocation process.

This table is an excerpt from the Connect@RIT Dissemination Plan.