university of missouri an nsf and mu program retention of women faculty strategies and tactics for...
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University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Retention of Women Faculty
Strategies and Tactics for Retention to Improve Diversity and Excellence (STRIDE)
Meera Chandrasekhar, Committee Chair, Department of PhysicsMIZZOU ADVANCE, University of Missouri, Columbia
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. 0618977. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
MIZZOU ADVANCE Programs
• STRIDE
• Mentoring Program
• Interactive Theatre
• Research
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
STRIDE Members
Meera Chandrasekhar, Physics, Committee ChairJackie Litt, Women’s and Gender Studies, Project PI
• Lex Akers, College of Engineering• Nancy Flournoy, Statistics• John Gahl, Chemical Engineering• Noah Manring, Electrical and
Computer Engineering • Kathy Newton, Biological Sciences• Silvia Jurisson, Chemistry• Marc Linit, College of Agriculture,
Food and Natural Resources• Bruce McClure, Biochemistry• Jerry Taylor, Animal Science• Former Members:
– Karen Cone, Biological Sciences– Michael Devaney, Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Jackie Litt, Kathy Newton, Noah Manring and John Gahl not in picture
STRIDE is a committee of 10 senior MU professors, working within the NSF-funded Mizzou ADVANCE Program
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
STRIDE Goals
• Raise awareness about changing MU culture to promote advancement of STEM faculty… without regard to gender
• STRIDE will:– Educate faculty, administrators, and promotion and
tenure (P&T) committees about unconscious bias and other practices that impede women's advancement
– Identify specific departmental- and college-level policies and practices that may affect the advancement of women and other underrepresented groups
– Identify best practices and policies that can lead toward sustainability of successful interventions
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
STRIDE accomplishments 2007- present
• Members have educated themselves on issues related to women in the academy
• The committee has developed three presentations:– Retention, promotion and success of tenured and
senior faculty: barriers and recommendations – Recruitment of new female faculty: ideas that will help
search committees and departments– Examination of departmental policies on promotion
and tenure that will maximize probability of faculty success
STRIDE is based on the U of Michigan model
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Presentation Attendees
• Department Chairs of 17 STEM departments in the colleges of Arts & Science, Engineering and Agriculture & Natural Resources
• Deans, Associate Deans, Division Directors• Promotion and tenure committees of three
colleges and campus
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Source: National Science Foundation, 2003
Asst. Assoc. Full0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
35 2916
65 7284
Percent male/female science faculty in the US as function of rank
MaleFemale
Faculty Rank
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Lack of Women Faculty means...
• Fewer points of view• Less diverse approaches to science and
engineering• Fewer women role models for all
students• Under-utilization of a national resource
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Barriers and Impacts
• Climate - Institutional and departmental• Professional assessment and rewards• Work-family balance• Absence of women has multiple impacts on:
– Climate and isolation– Ability to provide mentoring that is supportive of diversity– Role of unconscious gender perceptions in faculty
assessment and reward structures– Service demands imposed on women faculty– Creation of family-friendly institutional cultures in
departments/colleges
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Climate
• A favorable climate contributes to faculty success– Strong mentors and
collaborators– Clarity of promotion
process and expectations
– Supportive and transparent chair
• An unfavorable climate differentially affects minority groups, such as women – Faculty isolation, lack of
critical mass– Opaque procedures
and policies– Non-supportive chair– Skewed evaluation
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Gender Schemas
• Gender schemas often contribute to skewed evaluations
• Schemas are expectations or stereotypes that define “average” members of a group– Guide perceptions and behaviors– Influence group members’ judgments about
themselves and others
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Schemas are...
• Widely culturally shared– Both men and women have same
schemas about gender– People often unaware of schemas
Fiske (2002) Current Directions in Psychological Science. 11:123-128
• Applied more under circumstances of:Ambiguity or lack of information …stress from competing tasks …time pressure …lack of critical mass
• Four examples from the literature: − Blind auditions− Evaluation of resumes− Evaluation of postdoctoral fellowship applications− Letters of recommendation
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
SarahBrian
Blind Auditions
When musicians auditioned behind a screen …
… the proportion of females hired for orchestral jobs increased significantly.
Evaluation of CVsWhen evaluating identical application packages …… male and female university psychology professors preferred 2:1 to hire “Brian” over “Sarah.”
Gender Schemas Affect Evaluation
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Fellowships at the Swedish Medical Research Council : women had to be 2.5 times more productive to receive the same reviewer rating as the average male applicant.
Letters of recommendation for successful faculty candidates in a medical school differed in ways that reflected gender schemas……Letters for women were shorter, had more references to personal life and more irrelevancies, faint praise, and hedges
..Letters for men were longer, had more references to CV, publications, patients and colleagues
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Unintended Impact of Schemas
• Systematically skew evaluations for members of both groups
• Accumulation of very small differences in treatment lead to major consequences in salary, promotion, and prestige
Cole & Singer. 1991. In Zuckerman, Cole, and Bruer, eds., The Outer Circle: Women in the Scientific Community. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
What’s the Solution?
• Improve evaluation processes
• Encourage and reward excellence
• Improve climate
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Improve Evaluation Processes
Be aware of gender bias and its effects on evaluation and workload assignment
Ensure equitable distribution of teaching, service and advising responsibilities
Develop and implement specific criteria for tenure and promotion
Make sure all policies and processes are transparent
Include flexible family-friendly optionsProvide annual feedback on progress
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Encourage and Reward Excellence
• Provide opportunities for women faculty to excel as scientists and leaders– Encourage research or development leaves– Offer opportunities for leadership training– Nominate women for leadership positions– Encourage effort,
reward achievement
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Improve Climate
Promote scientific and social interactionInclude women in academic life
and decision-makingPromote peer mentoring
◦ Ensure that every faculty member has a mentor
◦ Build “virtual” critical mass through cross-departmental mentoring
Institute policies that provide employment for dual-career couples
University of MissouriAn NSF and MU Program
Conclusions
It is important for women and other responsible stakeholders to be educated about the literature on gender issues.
When women’s issues are addressed, institutional climate is improved, and women and men gain.
Changes are not the responsibility of just the women, or even their immediate superiors, but of all senior members in the institution.
mizzouadvance.missouri.edu