The K-State ADVANCE program team has a vision of an academic world in which women's concerns, interests, and contributions are recognized and valued, and where women and men work together in equal partnerships for the benefit of society. The goal is to create a transformed institution that purposefully attracts, retains, supports, and advances women in the disciplines of science, engineering, and mathematics (SEM).
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Institute changes in existing departmental policies, procedures and practices, and develop new ones as needed to foster a gender-equitable climate within partner departments
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Expand and enhance departmental recruitment practices to attract more women applicants and ensure that candidates are not subject to bias in the search and hiring process
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Implement programs that foster the careers of women faculty and encourage their retention through tenure and promotion
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Propagate the successes achieved in partner departments to all SEM departments
The K-State ADVANCE Program includes the four colleges with SEM departments in which women are the most underrepresented.
- College of Agriculture
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Engineering
- College of Veterinary Medicine
Ten partner departments have been selected as pilot programs to target specific institutional changes:
- Department of Agronomy
- Department of Animal Sciences & Industry
- Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering
- Division of Biology
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Clinical Sciences
- Department of Computing & Information Sciences
- Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology
- Department of Geology
The program is overseen by an executive committee of principal investigators who are senior university administrators and deans from each of the participating colleges. Members of the steering committee include the ADVANCE program coordinator, principal investigators, WESP director and designates from each of the four colleges. The steering committee meets monthly to guide and advise the program development. For more information about the individuals involved, see People or view the Organizational Chart [.pdf].
Funding is available for men and women faculty within college, departmental, and project-wide initiatives. These programs target career development, recruitment, research enhancement and collaboration, administrative development, mentoring, website development, seminar support, and gender equity workshops. The partner colleges and departments will be reviewing and revising their websites, evaluation policies and procedures, recruitment materials, and leave policies. For more information about the program initiatives, and current funding availability, please see Initiatives.
The K-State ADVANCE award is a five-year award, beginning October 1, 2003 and ending September 30, 2008.
The ADVANCE office staff can help answer questions related to the program. To contact the Project Coordinator, please call 785-532-6088, email advance@ksu.edu, or visit Contact Us for more information about the ADVANCE office staff.
Academic institutions of higher learning play a pivotal role in preparing the science and engineering workforce of the 21st century. Faculty members and academic and administrative leadership at these institutions serve as intellectual, professional, personal and organizational role models that shape the expectations of many prospective scientists and engineers. The underrepresentation of senior women faculty members is likely to affect women students' critical relationships with mentors, full participation as members of research and education teams, and self-identification as potential researchers. Currently women make up less than 20% of science and engineering faculty in 4-year colleges and universities, and hold an even smaller percentage of high-ranked positions. This situation creates a minimizing effect on the number of women choosing to pursue science and engineering careers. (Cited from National Science Foundation website, Frequently Asked Questions, http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf02121/nsf02121.htm).
The National Science Foundation has made three rounds of awards to a total of 30 universities. For a list of the ADVANCE institutions and links to each of their websites, visit Other Institutional Transformation Awardee Web Sites.