ADVANCE Catalyst Proposal Development - PowerPoint Presentation

1. ADVANCE Catalyst Proposal DevelopmentWebinar June 8, 2021

2. Systemic change (organizational change)Equity focusIntersectional approachOutputs:Intervention Strategies:Grant programNSF-wide partnersADVANCE brandResources:NSF ADVANCE Theory of ChangeRevised or new policies, processes, & practicesChanges in STEM culture & climate New knowledge of systemic change & equity Sustainability of ADVANCE and diffusion of ADVANCE ideasSolicitation Objectives:Challenge Systemic inequities, & cultural & climate factors impact the interest, retention, success of women, and racial & ethnic minorities in STEM academic careers.Vision: A productive, successful, and diverse STEM academic workforceO1: Intersectional approaches are integrated into ADVANCE equity strategiesO2: Adaptation of evidence-based practices by IHEs and STEM organizationsO3: Empowerment of individual and organizational stakeholders to enhance equityProgram Goal to broaden the implementation of evidence-based systemic change strategies that promote equity for STEM faculty.

3. Systemic & Organizational Change

4. EquityEquity issues may exist even if proportional representation is achieved. Pay gaps are an example of a potential gender equity issue in academics:AAUP Faculty salary survey data U.S. doctoral institutions 2014-2015

5. The ADVANCE goal is systemic change to enhance gender equity through policy, process, and procedure changes, as well as changes to culture and climate.Gender is not the only social identity that impacts a person’s experiences in STEM educational programs and STEM workplaces; Therefore, gender equity in STEM cannot be achieved without equity for all who are marginalized in STEM.Policies, practices, and procedures are not indifferent to people’s identities; Therefore, an intersectional lens is important in ADVANCE systemic change work.The “overrepresented” STEM faculty also have multiple social identities that impact STEM culture and climate and their understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. For example; academic hierarchy level, academic pedigree, traditional training and values, internationally trained faculty, English as a second language, cultural gender roles, etc.Intersectionality in ADVANCEKimberlé Crenshaw, YouTube 2018

6. IntersectionalityADVANCE recognizes that barriers to gender equity may not be identical for all women faculty in STEM Therefore, all ADVANCE proposals are expected to offer strategies to promote gender equity for all faculty*Note the only additional review criterion in the ADVANCE solicitation is focused on this expectationIntersectionality is a concept in social sciences that recognizes that social identity, such as gender, do not exist in isolation from the social context or other social identities such as race/ethnicity, disability status, sexual orientation, etc. The significance or salience of a social identity and the social context may potentially change over time.

7. ADVANCE Grant Types for IHEs

8. ADVANCE Grant Types for Organizations and/or IHEs

9. Does the ADVANCE Catalyst fit your needs?ADVANCE Catalyst Projects are intended to:Support institutions that otherwise could not do the institutional assessment work needed to identify gender-based systemic inequities.Focus on all faculty in the STEM disciplines supported by NSF It does not support clinical science faculty or allied health.All STEM disciplines should be included in the Catalyst project.Support institutions interested in implementing systemic changes to address gender equity after the end of the Catalyst with or without further ADVANCE funding.Review the program solicitation and NSF Grant Proposal Guide for official information on proposal preparation and eligibility.

10. Proposal Preparation & Implementation TeamsADVANCE teams need to include a range of expertise to be successful and include the stakeholders of the project. This might include:STEM faculty at different ranks and status who are the focus of the ADVANCE work Administrators and staff Social and behavioral science experts with equity and systemic change knowledge Program impact evaluation experts The burden of ADVANCE proposal development and implementation should not fall solely onto the populations that are intended to be served by ADVANCE. In order to address systemic issues all genders, all stakeholders, need to be involved in the design and implementation and as participants.

11. ADVANCE Catalyst

12. IHE Context and DataBriefly introduce the institution to reviewers (mission, STEM students and programs, and organizational structure relevant to STEM departments and faculty)Contextual information such as recent hiring freezes or plans to hire more faculty, faculty unionization and cycle of collective bargaining, state budget cuts or increases, new legislation impacting the institution, etc.Provide high level data on STEM faculty disaggregated by gender and STEM disciplineIdentify other institutional, college, or departmental strategic and long-term planning efforts that will need to be coordinated with.

13. Catalyst ActivitiesInstitutional assessment activitiesData collection from existing resources (HRM, Inst. Research, etc.)New data collection efforts – qualitative and quantitativeAnalysis of data to identify gender-based differences and any intersectional identities relevant to achieving gender equityAnalyze and unpack the data to identify the underlying systemic causesIdentify and review the important STEM faculty related policies, procedures, and practices with a gender equity and intersectional lens to develop recommendations for changes Some of these may be written down and some may not beThese may vary from department to department and/or college to college

14. Catalyst Activities (cont.)Communication within the IHE with stakeholders to: Get input from faculty and other stakeholders to inform the Catalyst project (especially those at the intersection of gender and other social identities that may be present in small numbers); andKeep faculty and other stakeholders informed about the project’s work (internal communication plan)Review the literature and ADVANCE and other models to address systemic equity:Study the relevant literature on gender equity, intersectionality, and organizational changeSite visits and/or expert consultants to learn about systemic change strategies to address systemic gender inequities for STEM faculty

15. Catalyst Activities (cont.)Develop the five-year faculty equity strategic plan (the Catalyst Plan)Link the Catalyst Plan to the institutional mission and visionThe Catalyst Plan can (and probably should) include components that impact all facultyAlign and link the Catalyst Plan to existing strategic plans and on-going effortsIdentify the institutional offices and administrators that could implement changes and include them in the development of the Catalyst PlanCan pilot interventions and evaluate impact to inform the Catalyst PlanFocus on systemic change actions in the Catalyst Plan

16. Analyzing the DataScenario: Your data indicate longer time in rank as associate for faculty who identify as women in the school of engineering and in 80% of the STEM departments in the school of arts and sciences (which includes the social and behavioral sciences) over the last five years.If this data is presented at a meeting with institutional leadership, you might get solutions…The chairs want more money to provide travel grants to associate faculty because they never have enough.The Deans want to provide training on building a promotion portfolio.The Associate VP of Academic Affairs wants to start a mentoring and networking program to connect associate faculty that identify as women across the STEM disciplines to create a peer support group.The ADVANCE team wants to train department Chairs and Deans on implicit bias.

17. But are these Systemic Change Strategies?Helpful questions for the ADVANCE team to consider (before presenting data to others)Does the recommendation reject the notion that there is something wrong or inadequate with the individuals that are experiencing the inequities?Does the recommendation require changes by those who are “overrepresented” and in leadership?Does the recommendation require changes in policies and procedures?Does the recommendation have the potential for long-term impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion for all STEM faculty at the IHE?Could this be implemented easily and is it something that clearly falls into the portfolio of an existing administrator at the institution (so why not do this now why wait for the strategic plan)?With the Catalyst grant – the ADVANCE team should have the time to unpack the data with expert help from social and/or behavioral scientists to identify the gender-based systemic equity issues that are resulting in the data observed.

18. Unpack your Data Before Seeking SolutionsUse the Catalyst grant to provide the time for the team to:Review the literature to see what others have identified as potential systemic causes of the issues your data have exposed:Transparency of expectations, inconsistent implementation of college policies, a perceived need for an invitation to apply, “insider” knowledge, differential service and teaching loads by gender for associate faculty, or a combination of issues.Ask additional questions, informed by the literature, to unpack the meaning of your data:What are the promotion policies and processes that govern promotion decisions? Are they the same in A&S and ENG and by department? What is different in the departments doing well? What does the latest faculty climate survey reveal as the potential issues? Do you need to talk to faculty in small groups to find out more?Is the story the same when you look at gender and race/ethnicity? What work-life policies may be impacting this data?Are there important intersectional identities of the “overrepresented” faculty that should be considered when identifying potential solutions?

19. Identify Systemic Change Strategies Review your solutions to make sure they are systemic change strategiesDoes it reject the notion that there is something wrong or inadequate with the individuals?Does it require changes by those who are “overrepresented” and in leadership?Does the recommendation require changes in policies and procedures?Does the recommendation have the potential for long-term impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion for all STEM faculty at the IHE?If your Catalyst Plan includes “band aid” solutions that are important to address the detrimental impacts of systemic issues that may be OK; but the plan should link these band aid strategies to the systemic change strategies that are necessary to be implemented as well. You do not want to end up with a Catalyst Plan full of “band aid” solutions.

20. Commitment and SustainabilityCommitment and sustainability aspects can be shown in the: Project management – who are PI and co-PIs, who is on advisory committees, and the project’s access to resources including institutional dataProposers can use the “Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources” section of the NSF proposal for voluntary uncommitted cost share (check PAPPG guidelines). No cost sharing allowed (line M on budget should be blank)Organizational chart – who does ADVANCE report to and where does it sit in the hierarchyOther ways – you make the case in the proposalLetters of collaboration - submitted as supplementary documentsYou do not have to use the exact language in the PAPPG as this is a program solicitationRequired from key organizational leadership include information on their:Role and interaction with the project during implementationCommitment to implementing the STEM faculty equity strategic plan

21. Project ManagementDescription of the role of key personnel in the projectAllocate adequate staff time and expertise for implementation, management, communication, and evaluationPlans for ensuring communication within the ADVANCE management team Project timeline with major activities (including evaluation)Internal steering committee and external advisory committees are optional:IAC - STEM faculty and administrators, STEM organization leaders, providers of faculty services, gender equity researchers, and other individuals with needed expertiseEAC – Members might have expertise in ADVANCE or in the strategies that you are implementing OR members could be peer institution chief academic officers OR whatever works for you

22. Communication StrategyA detailed communication strategy focused on internal communication related to the analysis of the institutional data and the development of the Catalyst Plan.The plan can include other channels for sharing results and knowledge from the project outside of the institution such as:An ADVANCE project websiteSharing the resulting five-year STEM faculty Strategic Plan with the ARC NetworkSpecific peer-reviewed journals, other publications, and presentations Other – be creative and responsive to current context

23. Supplementary DocumentsOnly the following documents may be submitted as Supplementary Documents in Catalyst proposals: Data management plan (NSF required) Postdoctoral fellow mentoring plan if budget includes support for postdocs (NSF required)Letters of collaboration including from key administrative leadership (program required – you do not have to use the format in the PAPPG) One-page organizational chart that illustrates the project structure and where it will sit in the institution or organization (which office it will report to)External evaluator curriculum vita(s) (if applicable)

24. Project EvaluationAn objective internal evaluation that focuses on the implementation and impact of the Catalyst activities is required. Formative and summative components – Is the project on track to develop the plan? Have the appropriate stakeholders been included?Quantitative and qualitative indicators as appropriateImpact evaluation – is there buy-in and support for the plan that was developed?This evaluation can be conducted by an institutional office or qualified individual on or off campus. An external evaluation is not required but is allowed if desired.

25. Project Evaluation Should Link the Proposal to ADVANCE Goal and ObjectivesADVANCE Solicitation Objectives:1: Intersectional approaches are integrated into ADVANCE equity strategies2: Adaptation of evidence-based practices by IHEs and STEM organizations3: Empowerment of individual and organizational stakeholders to enhance equityADVANCE Program Goal to broaden the implementation of evidence-based systemic change strategies that promote equity for STEM faculty. Explain how your project will contribute to one of more of these objectivesExplain how your evaluation & data collection will allow you to monitor and report on the contribution(s)?

26. Avoid Common Problems in ADVANCE Catalyst ProposalsInvolve the appropriate organizational or disciplinary stakeholders in the proposal development and implementationDo: Be creative and responsive to how change happens and how sustainability is facilitated at your institution Do: Identify important stakeholders such as union leaders, institutional research, faculty senate, HRM, EEOC, Title IX office, faculty development offices, deans, chairs and STEM facultyInclude time and effort and expertise to “unpack the data” to identify systemic gender-based inequities to understand the underlying issues causing the inequity(ies)You do not want to end up with a Catalyst Plan full of “band aid” solutions.Integrate an intersectional perspective in all aspects of the proposal Don’t: make intersectionality an “add on” or after thought.Do: Realize that intersectionality is important to consider for the targeted populations and may be for the “overrepresented” population as well.

27. NSF Merit Review Criteria and Peer ReviewBoth criteria must be addressed in the project summary and the proposal descriptionIntellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge; andBroader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.ADVANCE peer review panels include social and behavioral scientists, other scientists and engineers, gender equity experts, higher education and organizational administrators, and evaluation experts

28. ADVANCE Additional Solicitation Specific Review CriterionBecause the experiences of women in STEM academic careers may be influenced by many characteristics in addition to gender, all ADVANCE proposals are expected to take this into account in proposal design, research, evaluation, and data. Reviewers are asked to comment on how well the proposal addresses the intersection of gender with other characteristics such as: race, ethnicity, disability status, foreign-born and foreign-trained status, sexual orientation, and faculty appointment type in both the intellectual merit and broader impacts of the proposal.

29. ADVANCE ResourcesADVANCE Solicitation: www.nsf.gov/ADVANCE FAQs: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf20057Synthesis of ADVANCE products and strategies:Strategies for Effecting Gender Equity and Institutional Change http://www.colorado.edu/eer/research/strategic.htmlCommunity of ADVANCE Equity Experts - You can join without having a grant! ADVANCE Resource Coordination Network www.equityinSTEM.org Individual ADVANCE project websites, for example:University of Michigan http://advance.umich.edu/ WISELI http://wiseli.engr.wisc.edu/Hunter College http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/genderequity/

30. Email questions to ADVANCE@nsf.govThank you!Volunteer to be an ADVANCE reviewer! Send email to ADVANCE@nsf.gov with short CV highlighting your diversity and equity experience and expertise.