Increasing inclusion of Women & Women of Color in STEM Academic Departments

April 29,2015

Sonya T. Smith, Professor & Chair Department of Mechanical Engineering

Lead PI, HU ADVANCE-IT

Agenda

•  Introduction – “My Story” •  Background Data •  Challenges to Increasing inclusion of women of

color faculty •  What is HU ADVANCE-IT? •  Strategies / Programs •  Concluding Remarks

2  Sonya  Smith,  PhD  

“My Story”

–  Faculty member by accident

–  1995 – 1st tenure track woman, tenured, and full professor

–  2014 - still only woman in department

–  HU ADVANCE-IT

–  Howard University South Africa Project (HURSAP)

3  Sonya  Smith,  PhD  

Women as a percentage of full-time, full professors with science, engineering, and health doctorates, by institution of employment: 1993–2010

4  

Na2onal  Science  Founda2on,  Na2onal  Center  for  Science  and  Engineering  Sta2s2cs.  2013.  Women,  Minori+es,  and  Persons  with  Disabili+es  in  Science  and  Engineering:  2013.  Special  Report  NSF  13-­‐304.  Arlington,  VA.  Available  at  hIp://www.nsf.gov/sta2s2cs/  

Sonya  Smith,  PhD  

Underrepresented minorities as a percentage of full-time, full professors with science, engineering, and health doctorates, by institution of employment: 1993–2010

Na2onal  Science  Founda2on,  Na2onal  Center  for  Science  and  Engineering  Sta2s2cs.  2013.  Women,  Minori+es,  and  Persons  with  Disabili+es  in  Science  and  Engineering:  2013.  Special  Report  NSF  13-­‐304.  Arlington,  VA.  Available  at  hIp://www.nsf.gov/sta2s2cs/  

Sonya  Smith,  PhD  5  

Low participation fields for women: Computer sciences and engineering, 1991–2010

Na2onal  Science  Founda2on,  Na2onal  Center  for  Science  and  Engineering  Sta2s2cs.  2013.  Women,  Minori+es,  and  Persons  with  Disabili+es  in  Science  and  Engineering:  2013.  Special  Report  NSF  13-­‐304.  Arlington,  VA.  Available  at  hIp://www.nsf.gov/sta2s2cs/  

Sonya  Smith,  PhD  6  

Challenges to Increasing inclusion of women of color faculty

7  

   

   

Limited  Source  Conversion  

Sponsorship    

Work  Environment/Climate  

 Geographic  Isola<on/

Mobility  

Associate  to  Full  Professor  Promo<ons  

 Access  to  Resources  

Graduate  Students   Faculty  

HU ADVANCE-IT Objectives •  Education. To foster and sustain a climate and culture

which seeks inclusion of all faculty regardless of race, gender, or other target characteristics at the University and in the department

•  Advocacy. To advance the careers of women faculty in STEM disciplines at Howard University

•  Empowerment. To position Howard University as a national repository of scholarship on women of color STEM faculty professional experiences, accomplishments, and leadership

8  

9  9  

HU  ADVANCE-­‐IT  LEADERSHIP  TEAM  

Internal  Advisory  Board  

Chaired  by  Provost  

External  Evaluator  Internal  Evaluator  

Social  Science  Study  Documen<ng  the  HU  Experience  

for  women  in  STEM  

Advocacy  Mentoring  

Leadership  Development  Media  Campaign  Policy  Review  Faculty  Fellows  

Educa<on  Unconscious  Bias  Training  

Evalua<on  Data  Workload  Analysis  

Empowerment  STEM  Women’s  Research  Symposium  Women  in  STEM  Researcher  of  the  Year  

Mini  Grants  Wri<ng  Retreat  

 

External  Advisory  Board  

Chaired  by  President  

Howard  University    President,  Wayne  A.I.  Frederick,  MD,  MBA  

Provost,  &  Chief  Academic  Officer  Dr.  Michael  Winston  Ins<tu<onal  

Indicator  Data  

WOMEN STEM FACULTY Part I

10  

Faculty Handbook

•  Last revision 1993 •  Faculty Handbook Revision Committee (FHRC)

–  Charged to update the 1993 handbook

•  Revised handbook submitted March 2013 •  Section 6.2.3.3 Tenure Clock Extensions

–  Child birth or adoption –  Serious health condition –  Death of a parent, child, spouse, or domestic partner –  Catastrophic property loss

11  

Mini Grants •  Research literature

documents women faculty have less access to discretionary resources

•  20 awards to date •  90% increase in

applications from Cycle 1

12  

Mini Grants - Impact

•  Supported joint faculty/student projects

•  Pilot data for proposal submissions

•  Laboratory Supplies •  Leveraged funds/Pilot data

–  NIH R015 –  NSF Research Initiation

13  

Research Symposium •  March 2013 Women in

STEM Research Symposium

•  April 2014 – University-wide Research Day

•  Women in STEM Panel – live streamed

14  

STEM Woman Researcher of the Year

•  2014 Recipient – Dr. Georgia M. Dunston,

Founding Director, National Human Genome Center

15  

Unconscious Bias Training •  Launched in Fall 2014 •  Provost’s mandate to

Deans to requires all APT and Search Committees to be trained

•  Provost Search Committee completed Training

16  

Unconscious Bias Training -Impact

17  

33%

67%

Learned New Information About Unconscious Biases

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

67%

33%

Plan to Use Skills Learned From Training

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

33%

50%

17%

Various Committees Help Decision Making

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Leadership Development

18  

•  Seminars –  Dr. Verna Orr: Profiles,

Pedigrees and Proficiencies: Influencing the Trajectories of African American Women Postsecondary Presidents

•  Follow-the-Leader –  Shadowing program –  Uses vast network of women

leaders in the DC area

•  External Training/Workshops

Leadership Development Impact

19  

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Strongly Disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

5%

50% 45%

5% 5%

29%

62%

18% 18%

27%

18% 18%

Inspired to Become Leader

Empowered to Seek Leadership Positions.

Plan to Seek Leadership Positions

Become President of a University.

Mentoring

20  

•  Seminar series – Mentorship – Sponsorship

•  Facilitate Interaction with Mentors and Sponsors

Faculty Fellows •  2014: Dr. Kimberly Lewis, RPI

– Nanomaterials Research Center/Department of Electrical Engineering

•  2015: Dr. Dara Norman, National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) – Department of Physics and Astronomy

21  

Media Campaign •  Media Training sponsored by

Office of University Communications (OUC)

•  HU ADVANCE-IT Content Development – Media Week – STEM stories from 18 Women

Faculty –  Introduction Video for HU

ADVANCE-IT website

22  

Media Campaign Impact

23  

14%

7%

7%

7%

43%

22%

Prior Interview Experience

Print

Radio

Television

Live Television

No Interviews

Other Interviews

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Met of Exceeded My Expectations

Gave Helpful Information

Recommend This Workshop

50% 60% 50%

50% 40%

50%

Workshop Evaluation

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Possible Strategies •  Limited Source Conversion

•  Partner with institutions with larger pool of graduate students

•  Make offer secure while completing postdoc •  Stay connected with graduates •  Partner with Professional societies

•  Geographic challenges/ isolation •  Partner with Pipeline programs •  Incentivize cluster hires •  Visiting Faculty •  Maintain contact with graduates

Sonya  Smith,  PhD  24  

Possible Strategies (continued)

•  Full Professor Promotion – Collaboration with parallel international

organizations; •  Sponsorship

–  Incentivize ADVANCE Network of Women Faculty in STEM

–  Incentivize willingness to raise issues on campus

Sonya  Smith,  PhD  25  

26  

Thank you.