Panel: U-M ADVANCE makes strides, gains recognition

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The University's ADVANCE project—aimed at closing the gender gap in science and technology—is being recognized as a model that works. But leaders of the effort aren't resting on their success and say much more needs to be done.

The University has boosted the number of women faculty in science and engineering with strategies being implemented campus-wide, the panel said. The efforts are receiving national attention, especially in light of heightened discussion of the topic in higher education, said members of the project during a Feb. 17 panel discussion.

Nearly three years after the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the project a $3.75 million grant to eliminate gender disparity in those fields, the University has seen hiring change significantly. In 2004, new hires for positions in science and engineering were 39 percent women, compared to 2001 when only 13 percent of openings were filled by women. In addition, eight women have been made department chairs since the start of the project.

Abigail Stewart, professor of psychology and women's studies and ADVANCE project director, said the University routinely is consulted on its model for tackling a gender challenge that has daunted science and engineering departments nationwide.

The model, that NSF often encourages other institutions to use, pairs faculty in the science and engineering fields with social science colleagues who provide empirical data to convey the reality of gender bias.

But challenges still exist. Stewart presented data showing that nationally, despite a significant number of women graduating with degrees in the natural sciences and engineering, they still represent a small portion of faculty members in those fields.

In the Medical School and colleges of LSA and engineering, women accounted for about 20 percent of assistant professors in 2000-01 before the project began. In that same period, women's numbers decreased among associate and full professors.

ADVANCE participants who made up the panel were Stewart; Pamela Raymond, professor of cell and developmental biology and senior counselor to the provost; Melvin Hochster, the Jack E. McLaughlin Distinguished University Professor of Mathematics; Terrence McDonald, dean of LSA; and Anthony England, associate dean of academic affairs and professor in engineering.

The Board of Regents, which met immediately after the discussion, and others attended the program.

The ADVANCE project has changed the campus' attitude toward gender schemas, England said. Some ADVANCE activities include giving women faculty opportunities for mentoring, networking and career development.

"When I first participated in this activity I was confident, but I heard from some of my colleagues that they were indifferent to the problem," England said. "In fact, there was even skepticism that there was a problem. What I find now is that they recognize that the problem is real and we are now talking about what we can do to change things."

Raymond said recruitment and retention are keys to increasing the number of women faculty.

"We need to recruit more talented women to our science fields and once we get them here we need to create a work environment that encourages career development by providing leadership opportunities in addition to a vigorous research environment," said Raymond, who also is a professor of cell and developmental biology.

A component of ADVANCE's efforts is the work of the Science and Technology Recruiting to Improve Diversity and Excellence (STRIDE) committee, a group of senior science and engineering faculty. They have spearheaded U-M efforts with recruitment, including workshops for 60 search committee chairs.

McDonald said having a diverse pool of applicants is the first step to finding qualified women. He outlined LSA programs aimed at improving recruitment practices, climate and mentoring, and emphasized that the kind of cultural change being attempted in the program is difficult and slow.

Hochster noted various studies that showed people often make decisions in hiring based on gender, many times subconsciously.

"People don't approach things from zero," Hochster said. "We are all part of the problem, but it's not just in academics. It's everywhere. Just knowing about unconscious bias helps us change things."

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