The ADVANCE Associates Program: An Intervention for Retaining Women Faculty Members in STEM

Authors

  • Erika S. DeJonghe California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
  • Barbara A. Hacker California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
  • Jill E. Nemiro California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Keywords:

gender, academia, faculty, STEM, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, higher education,

Abstract

The Associates Program was implemented as part of an ADVANCE Institutional Transformation award from NSF intended to address difficulty recruiting and retaining women faculty members in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at a university emphasizing undergraduate education. At the end of the grant period, it was found that ADVANCE Associates were retained at a higher rate than general STEM faculty (91% versus 69%). The current study sought to examine why this was the case and what made participating faculty more likely to stay at the institution. Focus groups with former associates, coded using a grounded-theory approach to analyses, revealed participants in the program reported reduced isolation and a greater willingness to advocate for gender equity, which they linked to participation in the program.&

Author Biographies

  • Erika S. DeJonghe, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

    &&Department of Psychology & Sociology, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona;

  • Barbara A. Hacker, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

    &

    Barbara A. Hacker, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona;&

  • Jill E. Nemiro, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

    &Jill E. Nemiro, Department of Psychology & Sociology, California State Polytechnic University, Pomon

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Published

26-10-2015

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 3 (2015)

Section

Case Studies

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How to Cite

The ADVANCE Associates Program: An Intervention for Retaining Women Faculty Members in STEM. (2015). International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 7(3), 393-400. https://genderandset.open.ac.uk/index.php/genderandset/article/view/411