We report on a series of pilot programs that we developed and carried out to support the success and satisfaction of new faculty, particularly faculty of color. We hope that others committed to retaining and supporting underrepresented faculty can apply our learning from this pilot project, as a whole or in part.

Improving Campus Climate to Support Faculty Diversity and Retention: A Pilot Program for New Faculty.

Literature on gender, higher education administration, and leadership is reviewed using the framework of five principles derived from feminist psychology (Worell & Johnson, 1997): (a) sociocultural...

2004 division 35 presidential address: gender and leadership in higher education

This study explored the influence of a formal mentoring program on the leader identity development of participants and how they developed their leader identity during their participation in a non-degree leadership development certification program. The central research question of this study was: How does a participant's identity as a leader develop over time and what influence does a formal mentoring program have on the formation of a leader identity? A qualitative case-study approach with in-depth semi-structured interviews was used to gather the perspectives of participants and mentors. The study included 25 research participants including 11 mentor dyads. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) the mentor partnership-leader identity discovery; (b) leader identity development through critical learning moments; and (c) leader identity development through self-knowledge. Findings of this research suggest that adult learning principles are instrumental components to the leader identity development process. The participants believed that their formal mentoring experience was pivotal to the discovery and development of their leader identity. Additionally, critical reflection on the critical learning moments was another of the key factors that led to their development of their identity as a leader. Suggestions for future research include: (a) the effects of adult learning approaches on leader identity development; and (b) the effect mentoring may have on the different stages of identity development.

Mentoring and Leader Identity Development: A Case Study

Introduction The words "quiet crisis," "creeping crisis," and "gathering storm" have been used to describe the status of the United States in an increasingly flat world (Friedman 2006; National Academy of Sciences 2006). In The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Freidman addresses the "education gap" that is emerging in the United States and sounds an alarm intended to rouse people to action (2006, 323-359). Similarly, Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), the national alliance dedicated to improving undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, has stepped up the urgency of the call for fundamental, long-term, coordinated transformational change of the entire system so as to prepare the United States for the future (PKAL 2006, 1-27). From the perspective of women in the academy, it is of special interest to note that these concerns occur in the context of a gender imbalance in the STEM workforce. Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields and in STEM leadership positions in the United States. For example, data reported in Science and Engineering Indicators 2010 show that only 26% of the college-educated workforce in science and engineering are women (NSB 10-01 2010, 3-32). When considering first-time college freshmen in the national student population, more males (41%) than females (30%) select science or engineering as their intended field of study (NSB 10-01 2010, Appendix Table 2-6). Interestingly, females end up earning 50% of the bachelor's degrees but only 40% of the doctoral degrees in science and engineering (Burrelli 2008, 1; NSF 09-305 2009, 39). In academia 31% of full-time faculty in science and engineering are women, with the preponderance in the life sciences (NSB 10-01 2010, 3-32). Further, only 27% of STEM deans and department heads are women according to the most recent data available from the National Science Foundation (NSF 09-305 2009, 14, 254). There are ample reports in the literature that address the underlying reasons for this imbalance and it is not the purpose of the present paper to add to this body of knowledge. Rather, the question that has emerged in writing the present report is a pragmatic one: given the gender imbalance in the STEM workforce, what can be done to encourage, enable, and empower women to engage and be successful in the STEM disciplines? By sharing strategies and results in a case study format, this paper will demonstrate a model for "what works" with regard to women leaders building and sustaining successful and effective academic programs in STEM and will suggest approaches that may be helpful in working to achieve gender equity in the STEM workforce. CASE STUDY INSTITUTION Stevenson University Stevenson University (SU) serves as the case study institution. Located near Baltimore, Maryland, SU is an independent, comprehensive institution of over 3,400 students pursuing bachelor's and master's degrees whose primary niche is career-oriented liberal arts education. In U.S. News and World Report's 2010 edition of "America's Best Colleges," Stevenson climbed to the 11th ranking among the "Best Baccalaureate Colleges-North Region" and again was recognized as one of the nation's "Top Up-and-Coming Schools" and "Great Schools, Great Prices" (U.S. News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2010). It is worth noting that Stevenson University has been Stevenson University for only two years (since 12 June 2008). After nearly four years of careful deliberation and an extensive vetting process, the institution that had been Villa Julie College for 60 years was redefined from a college to a university with a new name that better reflects its scope and mission. Decades of program development, curricular expansion, enrollment increases, and growth in the size and scope of the campus itself contributed to the recent institutional transformation. This bold and dramatic step is characteristic of the institution well-known in the local community for its entrepreneurial spirit, innovative culture, and responsiveness to the needs of the workforce. …

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Women in the Academy: Female Leadership in STEM Education and the Evolution of a Mentoring Web.

Purpose




The purpose of this paper is to highlight critical issues facing women of color (WOC) faculty and to synthesize the research literature in order to offer recommendations for action to address inequities using an intersectionality framework.




Design/methodology/approach




The authors conducted a qualitative meta-analysis. Relevant articles were obtained through a search of the EBSCO and Google Scholar databases entering in combinations of specific keywords. In order to be included in this review, the manuscripts had to be published between the years 2001 and 2017; in a peer-reviewed journal; and available through the university library system.




Findings




The majority of manuscripts in the meta-analysis revealed high teaching and service loads, ambiguous standards for tenure and lack of culturally responsive mentorship are challenges experienced by WOC faculty. Moreover, there is limited research that examines STEM WOC faculty experiences at minority-serving institutions and in leadership roles. Further research is needed to examine the long-term efficacy of mentoring strategies and institutional transformation efforts for WOC. These numerous challenges cumulatively undermine institutions’ abilities to implement institutional transformation that impacts WOC in higher education.




Originality/value




The recommendations provided are based on the results of the meta-analysis and are intended to promote systemic change for STEM WOC faculty in institutions through intersectional and transformational approaches.

Barriers to the advancement of women of color faculty in STEM: The need for promoting equity using an intersectional framework

The Sisters Mentoring Sisters (SISTERS) Project was designed to help Black women at a predominantly White Central Florida state university develop career plans and strategies for their personal growth and professional development. Focus group participants discussed topics such as the needs of Black women at all levels of the academy, strategies for developing their leadership abilities, and opportunities for their career advancement. Focus group data were used to plan group mentoring sessions that focused on empowering participants to obtain administrative and professional positions in higher education. Africentric concepts and principles provided a framework for didactic and experiential activities that emphasized three types of individual and organizational support: emotional, informational, and structural. Echoing the familiar African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," the Sisters Mentoring Sisters (SISTERS) Project is based on the philosophy that "It takes a village to sustain a Black woman." The SISTERS Project was designed to create a "village" of caring and supportive women of African descent with the skills, attitudes, and desire to mentor and be mentored by each other. Its threefold mission is: to foster challenging and rewarding experiences within an academic environment that is perceived by some as neglectful, antagonistic, and at times brutally threatening; to provide the SISTERS participants with a variety of effective techniques and strategies for nurturing one another; and to help these women address the realities of "glass ceiling" issues that often exist for women, particularly those women who are Black, in the academy.1 PROJECT CONTEXT The SISTERS Project was implemented in a large, predominantly White, metropolitan research university in Central Florida that serves approximately 34,000 students, 55% of whom are female and 7.5% of whom are of Black, non-Hispanic origin. Of approximately 3,000 full-time employees, 156 are Black women. Though Black women are employed at various levels throughout the university, the largest number (55) serve in clerical positions. In only a very few instances are more than one Black woman employed in the same unit, a situation that severely limits the amount of contact between and among Black women on the campus. One of the goals of the university's current administration is for the institution to become more inclusive and diverse. Central to achieving this goal are initiatives designed to enhance the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women, people of color, and members of other protected classes. In the past, opportunities for members of these targeted groups to engage in leadership development and mentoring activities at the institution typically were limited to a few Black female faculty and the small number of Black women in middle- and upper-management positions. Opportunities for Black women in career service positions to participate in such activities were essentially nonexistent. The SISTERS Project was conceived as a means of addressing this deficiency by providing all Black women employed by the university with a structured process for developing knowledge and skills that could potentially lead to their career advancement. The project was also implemented to help combat the feelings of isolation and alienation that kept Black women at the university physically divided and emotionally estranged. PROJECT FOCUS Leadership development for women is often intended to help women break through the so-called "glass ceiling"2 of invisible but formidable workplace barriers (Shaw, Champlin, Hartmann, & Spalter-Roth, 1993, p. 1). For women of African descent in the United States, however, the metaphorical ceiling blocking their career advancement may be more than mere glass-indeed, some have likened it more to concrete (Anderson, 1998). The SISTERS Project aims to help Black women in a collegiate setting penetrate and break through workplace barriers ranging from subtle racist attitudes and prejudices to blatant discriminatory practices. …

Cheryl Evans Green

Papers

Sisters Mentoring Sisters: Africentric Leadership Development for Black Women in the Academy.