Faculty preparing grant proposals have saught to describe ADVANCE as part of the campus infrastructure. The text below can serve as a starting point describing the location of ADVANCE within the University infrastructure and the types of professional development support frequently requested. Please give sufficient time to engage in brainstorming the partnership and contribution of ADVANCE or prepare letters of support, or to identify the latest statistics.
The Lehigh University ADVANCE Center for Women STEM Faculty is based in the Office of the Provost and works to support the Deputy Provost for Faculty Affairs to continue the NSF grant-funded mission of attracting, retaining, and advancing women in STEM faculty positions. ADVANCE directly engages STEM women faculty by buiding and sustaining social, intellectual and cultural capital networks across our campus and partnering to bring writing retreats and NCFDD, etc. to campus. ADVANCE also is visible across the broader community of all disciplines and all genders and all administrative roles for ongoing professional & leadership development, practice, and policy change. ADVANCE routinely designs, convenes, and assesses programs and workshops to support impactful and meaningful diversity and inclusion efforts across campus, especially in STEM. The ADVANCE Center can draw upon past collaborative programs (often with CITL and the Centers of the ODI&E) and well-documented best practices from the National Academies (2019 report; and others) to tailor professional development tools or modules on the following topics: faculty hiring; inclusive teaching principles; interdisciplinary mentoring best practices; leading an inclusive research team culture; change leadership; understanding unconscious biases, power, privilege and microaggressions; speaking up to and interrupting bias; mentoring across differences (race, gender/gender identity, socioeconomic status, first-generation, sexual orientation; ability, etc.) being an advocate and sponsor for mentees; using individual development plans with your faculty or research team; setting expectations; giving feedback; and connecting students to campus resources and communities for professional identity development, personal identity fulfillment, mental health support, academic supports, and career advice. ADVANCE has a successful track record of increasing gender diversity in STEM, influencing how preparation for faculty hiring and the campus interview take place; supporting a stronger dual career infrastructure, creating supports for new and mid-career faculty. Additionally ADVANCE is a convener suitable for (co)hosting fora to develop new frameworks and approaches to leveraging subject matter expertise to continue the work of making STEM (and Lehigh) cutlure more inclusive and equitable so a diverse faculty can thrive.
Bias, Discrimination, Harassment Resources
