Project
Summary
The National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE program supports systemic, organizational change projects to enhance gender equity and inclusion for STEM faculty. In 2023, a team from WCU was awarded a 2-year grant under ADVANCE’s Catalyst track - ADVANCE Catalyst: Lead & Accelerate University Change for STEM Faculty at West Chester University (LAUnCh STEM at WCU). The Catalyst track is designed to allow institutions of higher education to perform data collection and self-assessments which will identify if inequities affecting their faculty do exist. Accordingly, the following are the goals of the LAUnCH STEM at WCU project:
- Identify if there are institutional barriers that create inequities for women, faculty who are historically excluded or minoritized, and those at the intersection of these identities in STEM fields at WCU,
- Classify and pilot equity strategies which have been implemented at other ADVANCE institutions that could be adapted at WCU to systemically mitigate barriers, and
- Develop a data-driven, research-based LAUnCh STEM at WCU five-year strategic plan for faculty equity, which parallels existing institutional priorities.
Please visit Project Activities to learn how we will meet these goals.
Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to travel into space, once said “Astronauts are very professional and when they're preparing for launch, they prepare for it as the most serious endeavor of our lives.” As we set off to LAUnCh STEM at WCU, we approach it as one of the most serious endeavors of our careers. Ellen Ochoa’s experiences navigating the world and beyond as a first-generation college student, a grandchild of Mexican immigrants, a woman, and her other identities, remind us that as we proceed, we must consider the impact of intersectionality on faculty career success at WCU.
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