ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan has received a five-year, $3.7 million award from the National Science Foundation to improve the opportunities for tenure-track women faculty in science and engineering fields.

Both nationally and at the U-M, the increase in the number of women faculty in the past 10 years has been slow, far slower than the change in the proportion of women faculty in non-science fields. Project Director Abigail J. Stewart noted that according to University Human Resource Development data, the overall proportion of women on the U-M faculty in natural science departments in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) was 6 percent 10 years ago and is only 9 percent today; for the College of Engineering, the numbers are 5 percent and 11 percent.

“The proportion of women in the highest faculty rank, full professor, is also disappointingly low,” Stewart said. In LSA, 1 percent of full professors in science in 1990 were women, up to 6 percent in 2000; in the College of Engineering, the comparable numbers were 1 percent and 5 percent. Although the pattern varies from department to department, the overall figures suggest that not enough women scientists are succeeding or thriving on the tenure track.

“Many smart, motivated women have cited isolation and marginalization as reasons for moving out of science and engineering at major research institutions,” said Stewart. “Universities have recognized that we have to improve the campus environment for women faculty in these fields if we’re going to attract and retain the brightest and best for our respective institutions.”

The project is receiving support from the University at the highest levels. Stewart directs the University’s Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG). Co-project directors include Associate Provost Pamela A. Raymond and the deans of three colleges (Shirley C. Neuman, Literature, Science, and the Arts; Stephen W. Director, Engineering; and Allen S. Lichter, Medicine). The committee that planned the grant proposal was chaired by U-M President Lee C. Bollinger and included former Provost Nancy Cantor; Vice President and Secretary of the University, and now Interim Provost, Lisa A. Tedesco; and Associate Dean of Engineering Linda P.B. Katehi, along with the project director and the four co-project directors.

“It is past the time for this issue to be addressed at the institutional level. We cannot afford for this to remain an ‘intractable problem.’ Furthermore, it is clear to me that it is quite possible for Michigan to take a national leadership role in addressing this problem,” said Bollinger.

Stewart says the Michigan effort will begin with a baseline climate survey of scientists on campus, along with a space, equipment, and resource inventory. “Our purpose is to assess the climate and distribution of resources,” she said. “Based on these analyses, we will launch a three-part program, and at the end of the period we’ll do a follow-up survey to assess our progress.”

The first phase of the Michigan program will be a campus climate initiative which will create or identify activities like workshops, expert consultation and focus groups, and make them available to any interested department or college throughout the University. The second phase will provide new types of direct support to individual scientists. Finally, a departmental transformation initiative will develop a sequenced program to be awarded to a small number of departments on a competitive basis. Funding from the National Science Foundation will begin next January, and activities associated with this five-year program will be announced over the course of next year.

“This sustained, committed intervention will include an internal review or self-study, goal-setting, and a series of targeted activities addressing recruitment, retention, and/or climate issues. The expectation is that these individual departmental transformations will also provide models for change across the campus,” Stewart said.

“The Michigan project deliberately encompasses a range of activities, from short-term activities like focus groups and data-based presentations to interventions that require serious, sustained efforts and funding,” Raymond explained. “The goal is to encourage both entire departments and individual scientists on campus to take full advantage of all the resources that will be available through this initiative.”

Planning for the Michigan effort began last
The grant was awarded as part of the National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE Program, established to increase participation of women in the science and engineering work force through the increased representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers.

For more information about the Michigan project, contact Abby Stewart, (734) 764-9537 or abbystew@umich.edu.