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ATHENA: Supporting Women Faculty in STEM at UofL


The University of Louisville (UofL) ADVANCE Adaptation project called the Advancement through Healthy Empowerment, Networking, and Awareness (ATHENA) will improve equity for STEM faculty.

The institution has done a self-study to identify equity issues for STEM faculty by gender and have identified promising practices from other ADVANCE grantees. Strategies that will be implemented include:

  • ADAPTATION 1: changing the search, recruitment and hiring practices by adapting components from the University of Michigan's Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Increase Diversity and Excellence (STRIDE);
  • ADAPTATION 2: creating a mentoring program for all stages of faculty careers, but with an emphasis on improving opportunities for mid-career promotion based on Florida International University's Faculty Mentoring Program (FMP);
  • ADAPTATION 3: establishing a program to support the career progress of faculty going through major life events;
  • ADAPTATION 4: implementing data collection to support evaluation and monitoring efforts; and
  • ADAPTATION 5: developing awareness about biases that affect the advancement of women in STEM disciplines through theatre based workshops.

The project will lead to the creation of an ATHENA Center for STEM Equity which will enhance UofL's institutional capacity in STEM equity research and will help to sustain the ADVANCE Adaptation project strategies shown to be effective.

The NSF ADVANCE program is designed to foster gender equity through a focus on the identification and elimination of organizational barriers that impede the full participation and advancement of diverse faculty in academic institutions. Organizational barriers that inhibit equity may exist in policies, processes, practices, and the organizational culture and climate. ADVANCE "Adaptation" awards provide support for the adaptation and adoption of evidence-based strategies to academic, non-profit institution of higher education as well as non-academic, non-profit organizations.

ATHENA is supported by National Science Foundation award HRD-1936125.

 

 

 

GET IN TOUCH

Get in touch with the ATHENA team to learn more, including information about upcoming events and programs.


ATHENA FACULTY FORUM 

Send a request to be added to the ATHENA Microsoft Teams group for UofL women faculty members. 

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