CSUB receives grant to advance equity in STEM faculty

University just one of four in nation to receive National Science Foundation grant

By California State University, Bakersfield

August 9^th, 2022

California State University, Bakersfield is one of just four institutions in the nation selected by the National Science Foundation to receive grant support to study its representation of women faculty members in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and the barriers they might face in recruitment, retention and promotion.

The National Science Foundation notified CSUB on August 9 that it won the NSF ADVANCE Catalyst grant. It was the first time the university had applied for the support.

“At CSUB, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and will use this support to advance that promise,” said President Dr. Lynnette Zelezny. “Research shows that girls and women have been discouraged from pursuing careers in the sciences, which deprives them of the opportunity to follow their dreams. We want to reverse that trend, and when we have a greater representation of women faculty members in the STEM disciplines, they will become role models for girls throughout our region."

For more than 20 years, NSF’s ADVANCE program has worked to improve the representation and advancement of women in STEM academia, funding both research into institutions’ policies and procedures and the implementation of changes recommended by those research teams. By identifying systemic factors that can hold women back, institutions are then able to rectify those problems and better support equity and inclusion among faculty.

“At this university, we understand that the pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion is the right thing to do, but it also makes us a better institution because it reflects the communities we serve,” said Provost Dr. Vernon B. Harper. “This grant will allow us to take a deep look at what we need to do to achieve gender equity, and that’s so vital in STEM.”

The grant application was led by Dr. Harper, with support from director of grants and outreach for CSUB’s School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering Dr. Andrea Medina, assistant professor of mathematics Dr. Aubrey Kemp and professor of computer science Dr. Melissa Danforth. Senior personnel on the project include assistant professor of psychology Dr. Richard Zamora, associate professor of economics Dr. Richard Gearhart and CSUB chief diversity officer Claudia Catota.

“It’s an honor to have been selected,” Dr. Medina said. “ADVANCE is a highly successful program, and we’re anticipating that this will make a positive impact. The fact that this is our first time applying and we got it is incredible. It supports the president’s efforts toward diversity and inclusion. We want to meet the needs of our workforce. It’s the right thing to do.”

The Catalyst grant CSUB received will allow the team to look at CSUB’s recruitment, retention and promotion of women within STEM disciplines. The goal is to broaden the number of female STEM faculty and to do so with intersectionality in mind, looking at the experiences of women of color, LGBTQ+ women and other marginalized identities.

Currently, female-identifying faculty members in ADVANCE-supported areas of STEM make up just 34% of total faculty. Of those, more than half are not tenure/tenure-track faculty, which also means they are not eligible for leadership positions like departmental chair.

“This is a nonjudgmental way to look at what we’re doing and identify any potential barriers women face,” Dr. Medina said.

The university’s proposal, which uses the term womxn to emphasize its focus on intersectionality, lists three goals for the team’s research:

implement rigorous data tracking for each stage of faculty recruitment and hiring practices;
explore perceptions and realities of equity and transparency in faculty teaching and service loads;
and review policies and practices related to tenure and promotion to leadership.

Based on what they learn, the team members will then develop a five-year plan for the university to better support faculty.

The Catalyst grant is the first phase of the ADVANCE program, funding the two-year fact-finding mission the team will now undertake. The goal is that the resulting equity plan will potentially lead to phase 2 funding by ADVANCE Institutional Transformation or Adaptation grants

Dr. Kemp said she was excited that CSUB was chosen for the ADVANCE Catalyst grant because of the potential it has to create positive institutional change for the university.

“This is an opportunity to not just hear what the womxn on our campus have to say about their experiences, but to put into place policies that can help to improve these experiences for current and future faculty,” Dr. Kemp said. “We hope to learn ways in which womxn can be better supported and to create actionable items that will result in a more inclusive space in our pursuit for a truly equitable campus."