AdvanceVT Progress Report
Pl Meeting
Atlanta, Georgia
April 19, 2004
Programmatic Activities to Date

January 12 initial workshop big success
– Positive feedback and priorities for action



Met with other Advance institutions at
University of Washington
Hosted networking reception for Women’s
Month
Surveyed faculty, staff and graduate students
regarding child care needs
– Identified as high priority at January workshop

4/19/04
Began compiling institutional data for NSF
reporting requirements
Virginia Tech
Pipeline Element:
AdvanceVT Fellowship Recipients
Megan Elwood
Madden, Geosciences
Miriam Stewart, Civil
and Environmental
Engineering
Olga Pierrakos,
Mechanical Engineering
4/19/04
Virginia Tech
Recruitment and Retention Element:
Increase the representation of women
Element Activities to Date

Compiled listservs and websites for faculty
recruitment

Co-hosted Caroline Lasser, TU Munich,
with math department

Identified mentoring as central retention
element; plan to develop tool kit

4/19/04
Led and participated in numerous faculty
searches in the two colleges
Virginia Tech
“Some of the main
factors resulting in
my choosing
Virginia Tech were
the supportiveness
of the hiring
committee, the fact
that my spouse was
hired, and the
quality of research
in the university as
a whole."
A Recent
Faculty Hire,
Fall 2003
Leadership Element:
Recipients of AdvanceVT
Research Seed Grants
Dr. Kathleen Meehan
Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Dr. Corina Sandu
Mechanical Engineering
4/19/04
Dr. Naira Hovakimyan
Aero and Ocean Engineering
Dr. Linsey Marr
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Virginia Tech
Dr. Julie Dunsmore
Psychology
Dr. Lynn Adler
Biology
Leadership Element:
Recipients of AdvanceVT
Leadership Fellowships
Dr. Brenda Winkel
Biology, Fralin Biotechnology Center
4/19/04
Dr. Andrea Dietrich
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Virginia Tech
Institutional Change Element:
Policy review
Element Activities to Date
 Dual career accommodation policy
– Identified as high priority at January
workshop
– Collected and reviewed policies from
other institutions
– Draft policy/procedure prepared and
circulated for discussion
– Plan to present to Board of Visitors this
summer
4/19/04
Virginia Tech
“[There is a]
‘nothing written
down’ trend in our
department. I
have no idea
what some of the
policies are.”
Female Assoc.
Prof. at Virginia
Tech.
Fall 2003
Assessment and Research
Activities to Date

Completed first interviews with new
faculty in colleges of science and
engineering

Completed interviews with female
associate professors in colleges of
science and engineering

In process of interviewing comparable
group of male associate professors

Preliminary findings distributed to
department heads and work group
members
4/19/04
Virginia Tech
"It's important to
address scientists
in a scientific way.
The only way you
are going to
convince scientists
that change is
needed is by giving
them data. Give
them a lot of data."
Associate
Professor, College
of Science
Assessment and Research
Faculty Survey

Goals:
– Assess institutional transformation,
– Assess gender differences and organizational
factors associated with success in faculty positions




4/19/04
Partnering with other Advance institutions
Contracted with Survey Research Center for
logistics
Anticipated distribution fall 2004
Requesting support from University leadership
to increase response rate
Virginia Tech