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Moderator: Thomas Kling, Bridgewater State University

Transforming Annual Reviews to Catalyze Equity and Innovation

Elizabeth Long Lingo, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Sue Roberts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Jeanine Skorinko, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Chrysanthe Demetry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Annual reviews conducted by department heads provide an invaluable yet often untapped opportunity to help springboard and foster short and long-term professional development of all faculty members, resulting in more equitable outcomes for all faculty. Annual reviews are especially important for mid-career faculty (i.e., Associate Professors) since there is greater opportunity for department heads to foster creativity and innovation after the first promotion. As part of its ADVANCE Adaptation grant (2018-2021), WPI piloted a new model for faculty annual reviews that transformed these conversations from an evaluative to a professional development model, with an explicit goal on fostering greater equity within departments and addressing systemic biases that constrain the advancement of women and BIPOC in advancement to full professor. The new model embraces a “Reflect, Inquire, and Develop integrative possibilities" model of discovery, and includes a discussion guide for department heads and reflective preparation prompts for faculty members. The pilot program was ultimately implemented widely across the university, and includes leadership training for department heads on how to catalyze innovation of faculty as creative experts while also achieving greater equity and collective departmental and organizational goals.

Departmental-level Equity Reform through a Virtual Support Community of Departmental Teams: Introducing the FOLC-E

Melissa Hayes Dancy, Western Michigan University

Apriel Hodari, Eureka Scientific

Samantha Elliot, St. Mary's College of Maryland

Kelly Mack, Association of American Colleges and Universities

Shayna Krammes, Eureka Scientific

Christina Shute, Association of American Colleges and Universities

The FOLC-E (Faculty Online Learning Community - Equity) is a model for departmental-level equity reform that utilizes the power of social connection to support stakeholder teams from STEM departments as they engage in a two-year process of equity reform. We implement this model to specifically address intersectional gender equity in STEM departments. We work with teams of typically three members of a department (with at least one person holding significant administrative power) for two years in a virtual community. The community meets biweekly. Each cohort has about 5 teams. In year one the teams learn about systemic inequity and organizational change. With the support of facilitators and other teams, they evaluate their own department for change opportunities and design a reform project with the potential for departmental-level sustained reform. In year two, teams implement their projects, manage challenges, and evaluate impact. In this talk, we present the design principles and underlying research we use to structure the FOLC-E. These include: a community to support the challenges of implementation, a mentor for each team with extensive experience in higher education administration and change, focus on systemic (not individual) change, required full departmental buy-in, and organic programming based on the unique situations and needs of participants. This project, “Faculty Online Learning Communities for Gender Equity: Targeting Departmental Level Change In STEM” is supported by the NSF ADVANCE Partnership grants 2121899, 2152524, and 2121858.

Trying to Move Too Fast: A Department that Chose to Prioritize Internal Equity Before Rushing to Action

Tamily Weissman, Lewis & Clark College

Norma Velazquez-Ullo, Lewis & Clark College

In the summer of 2020, the Biology Department at Lewis & Clark College made a purposeful shift inward, questioning inequities in our interactions with each other as faculty and staff. We had been focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion more generally for a number of years, for example in faculty searches, research mentoring for underrepresented students, revamping our introductory curriculum to be more student-focused, and addressing growth mindset and stereotype threat in the classroom. However, it was not until we debated our reaction to the #ShutDownSTEM movement, following George Floyd’s murder, that we asked more difficult questions about how our department itself was influenced by white culture. After collecting and discussing feedback from students, we discovered an impasse: either create immediate action items to address the feedback, or slow down to understand inequities among ourselves as faculty. We chose to focus at the department faculty/staff level, considering that this internal work could provide a model for the work we ultimately wished to do in empowering BIPOC students. Two members of our department designed weekly discussions on race, with readings and assignments modeled after anti-racism workshops they had attended at Lewis & Clark. Our approach had successes and failures, which will be discussed in the presentation. We also initiated broader meetings with other STEM-focused departments, which allowed colleagues to learn about and dovetail with cross-campus efforts. Our experiences provide one potential template for departments looking for ways to begin self-reflective work on how inequities influence department culture at the faculty/staff level.