Transcript Document
NSF ADVANCE Academic Careers in Engineering and Science (ACES)
at Case Western Reserve University
http://www.case.edu/admin/aces/
ACES: Purpose and Goals
The Academic Careers in Engineering & Science (ACES) program at Case
Western Reserve University (CWRU) is part of the National Science
Foundation’s ADVANCE Institutional Transformation (IT) program to develop
a science and engineering (S&E) workforce that includes the full participation
of women at all levels of faculty and academic leadership.
As the first private university to be awarded a five-year ADVANCE IT award,
CWRU has undertaken systematic institutional transformation to improve the
recruitment, advancement, leadership and retention of women faculty and
enhance transparency, accountability and effectiveness at the school/college
and departmental levels.
During 2003-08, ACES has worked with 31 NSF fundable departments in 4
S&E schools (sciences, engineering, medicine, and management) as well as
the university as a whole, engaging in a broad set of transformational
programs and initiatives, policy and structure changes, process
improvements, and faculty career and leadership development to transform
the university.
Major Initiatives, Multiple Levels
Scope
Commitment of Senior Administrators
Accountability of Deans
University
Leadership
The ACES grant was launched with the overall goal of increasing the percentage of
S&E women faculty at CWRU over the 2003 baseline by 20% over the five-year
period through four primary thrusts:
Provost’s Annual Leadership Retreat
Departmental
Initiative Grants
Search Committee
Supports
School and Department Level
New Structures,
Policies &
Procedures
(1) Targeted Recruitment Initiatives improve faculty search and recruitment
processes in order to:
• Increase the percentage of women faculty at the assistant professor level
• Increase women as a percentage of endowed chair holders
• Increase women as a percentage of all candidates in search pools
• Increase women as a percentage of all candidates invited to visit CWRU
94 96 91
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Figure 3: Proportion of Tenure-Stream Positions for 31
Science and Engineering Departments by School and
Gender, 2003-2007
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Proportion of Positions
(4) Faculty Development Initiatives support and empower faculty by:
• Improving coaching and mentoring mechanisms
• Improving faculty networking, training and education
• Creating funding for career development of women and minorities
Number of Positions
(3) Institutional Climate Change Initiatives transform departmental and university
climate in order to:
• Improve the leadership of departmental and school administrators
• Improve qualitative perceptions and ratings of climate, as ascertained through
focus groups, interviews, and surveys
• Increase resource equity for women faculty, including salary equity, teaching loads,
lab space, and retention efforts
• Increase the percentage of women invited to campus as distinguished lecturers,
visiting speakers and scholars
Figure 2: Number of Tenure Stream Positions for
31 Science and Engineering Departments by
School and Gender, 2003-2008
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CAS
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Male
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lectureships
Campus Level
Hotline Coaching for
Women faculty
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Main Accomplishments (2003-2008)
Trends
(2) Advancement and Retention Initiatives improve university policies and work
practices in order to:
• Increase the percentage of women faculty at the associate professor and full
professor levels through promotion from within
• Increase the percentage of women in faculty leadership or administrative positions
at the school level
Coaching, mentoring,
networking, and training &
development of deans, chairs,
women faculty in S&E depts.
Opportunity Grants for
Women Faculty
Minority student
pipeline
Student Gender
Awareness
Grassroots Climate Change
Committee
Number of
Endowed Chairs
Figure 5: Number of Endowed Chairs for 31
Science and Engineering Departments By
Gender, 2003-2008
CSE
WSOM
School
SOM
• CWRU appointed a woman President of the University and a woman Dean of the School of Medicine
• New offices and positions were created across CWRU, including:
• Assistant Dean of Faculty Development and Diversity in the School of Medicine
• Associate Dean of Faculty Development in the School of Engineering
• 3 new endowed chairs for women faculty in S&E
• Diversity Specialist in the Provost’s Office
• Research Analyst in the Institutional Research office
• Graduate student position in the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women
• Increased the overall percentage of women faculty in S&E departments from18% to 21% during a time of
general reduction in faculty size
• Almost doubled the number of women faculty in S&E departments holding endowed chairs (from 8 to 15)
• Doubled the number of women serving as S&E department chairs from 2 to 4
• Created or revised university faculty policies including automatic pre-tenure extension and work release
policies
• Institutionalized an annual Provost’s Leadership Retreat for all deans and chairs in the university and an
annual faculty orientation for newly promoted faculty, and expanded the annual new faculty orientation
• Implemented new policies, education, and best practices that improve S&E faculty search and
recruitment processes
• Institutionalized a summer internship (pipeline) program for minority women S&E students.
Reports and Publications
Over 2003-08, ACES conducted several studies of faculty diversity and equity, including annual NSF
ADVANCE faculty composition indicator analyses, 2 campus climate surveys (in 2004 and 2007), faculty
interviews & focus group studies, annual salary equity studies, a candidate pool composition study, annual
exit interviews, annual offer letter analyses, a COACHE junior faculty survey, an Affirmative Action survey,
annual new faculty surveys, and various intervention evaluation studies.
Several ACES reports and publications are available at http://www.case.edu/admin/aces/resources.htm