ADVANCE: A Bottom Up and Top Down Approach to Diversifying College Campuses
Spurty Surapaneni, BA, Lisa M. Larson, PhD, Bonnie Bowen, PhD, Luiza Dreashear, PhD, Joel Geske, PhD
Iowa State University
Abstract
Diversity is stifled on college campuses because emphasis is placed on targeting diverse individuals rather than
fostering a diverse environment. ADVANCE, an NSF funded program, initiated Collaborative Transformation, a focus
group study examining areas of major concerns across nine STEM departments (Bird, Fehr, Larson & Sween, 2011).
The current study focuses on identifying two processes to address these concerns; a bottom up approach focusing on
departmental level change and a top down approach focusing on institutional/administrative level change. The
interaction between the two approaches and the implications of each will be examined as well.
Bottom Up Approach
Collaborative Transformation Project
Demographics
• Nine focal departments chosen from three STEM colleges (Engineering, Liberal Arts
and Sciences, & Agriculture and Life Sciences (STEM fields)
• 278 department faculty participated (74%) and nine department chairs (100%)
Procedure and Results
ADVANCE
Defining ADVANCE
• NSF institutional transformation grant , 2006 to 2011, $3.3 million
• Help recruit and retain female & racial ethnic faculty in the Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
Goals of ADVANCE
• Overcome known barriers in the advancement of women and racial ethnic faculty in
STEM fields
• Identify and eliminate department-specific barriers to advancement
• Increase the representation of women and racial ethnic minorities in senior faculty or
leadership roles
• Institutionalize positive change across the university
Process of ADVANCE
• Focus groups by academic rank participated in hour-long interviews concerning
conditions under which they do their best work, hiring, promotion.
• Chairs interviewed individually twice for 90 minutes
• Transcriptions examined; themes identified.
• ADVANCE Researchers met with Departmental ADVANCE committees and met
with Chairs to share themes and form action plan. 9 themes identified. Examples
include
• Recruitment and hiring practices
• Clarity of criteria and consistency in feedback
• Worklife balance
Top Down Approach
Equity advisors
• Seven faculty members, one for each college at Iowa State
• Role is to implement the goals of the ADVANCE initiative, facilitate the Best
Practices Search
Best Practices Search Training in Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Procedure
• 1 hour mandatory training
• Extensive Online Resources
• Emphasizing Reduction of Implicit Bias, Fair and Transparent
Processes
• Assessment
• Search departments were assessed prior (fall 2012) to conducting the
search and after (Spring 2013) conducting the search
• Faculty asked whether Best Practices were followed in the Department
Search
• Three practices were endorsed at a greater rate after search training compared to
before search training (See Figure below for details)
Percentage Changes in STEM for Women 2006 to
2010
% Change in Endorsement of Best Practices
90%
Spring 2013 (May)
80%
Fall 2012 (September)
70%
100%
Criteria Consensus
60%
67%
50%
Focal Depts.
40%
89%
Faculty Input
77%
Non-Focal Depts.
30%
88.9%
Evaluation of Applicants
77.4%
20%
10%
Discussion
0%
% Increase in Women Faculty
% Increase in Women Full
Professors
% of Assistant Professor Hires
that were Women
Implications
Action Taken
• Focus groups departments created actions plans that addressed the concerns by doing
the following
1. Diversifying the applicant pool to include a true representation of
women and racial ethnic minorities available in the discipline
2. Updating Governance documents to reflect consistent criteria for
evaluating potential candidates
3. Hiring a higher percentage of women than hired in previous searches
Results of Action Taken
ADVANCE WEBSITE: http://www.provost.iastate.edu/isu-advance
• -Focus group departments hired more assistant professors, had increased levels of
women faculty and increased full-time women professors than non-focus group
departments (See Figure above for details)
•
Bottom Up (departmental level)
• Active work towards reducing or eliminating barriers to a positive,
inviting environment
• Enhancing and encouraging practices that foster a positive
environment
• Top Down (Institutional Level)
• Implementing change as a reflection received by departments
• Redefining the meaning of diversity and how to foster it
• The interaction between bottom up and top down processing holds everyone
responsible for creating a thriving environment.
References
Sharon R. Bird, Carla Fehr, Lisa M. Larson, and Molly Sween. 2011. "ISU ADVANCE Collaborative transformation Project: Final Focal
Department Synthesis Report (April 2011)." 23 pages. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University ADVANCE Program.