TCNJ ADVANCE Program (TAP): assessment and faculty development initiatives for fostering career advancement within a PUI environment

Abstract

TCNJ ADVANCE Program (TAP): Assessment and Faculty Development Initiatives for Fostering Career Advancement Within a PUI Environment The scarcity of women at the full professor level of academia in STEM disciplines is a well-known problem experienced by colleges and universities nationwide. Primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) like The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) are no exception to this trend. Furthermore, female faculty here face unique challenges including a short tenure clock (4 years),promotion to Associate Professor being a separate application process from tenure, and high teaching and service loads with no graduate student support. In September 2009, TCNJ was awarded an ADVANCE PAID award to address the issues of female faculty advancement and stalling in rank in the STEM disciplines. The TCNJ Advancement Program (TAP) was created with the support of the ADVANCE award. TAP combines both equity assessment and faculty development initiatives in order to understand barriers to career advancement within TCNJ’s PUI environment and to create programs to foster them. In the equity assessment initiatives, a comprehensive faculty database has been created which can identify differences among STEM and non-STEM disciplines in the amount of time faculty spend at rank. Qualitative interviews were also conducted to identify potential barriers faced by women. The faculty development initiatives encompass a broad spectrum of mentorship, professional development, and family friendly practices. Both external mentorship and internal mentorship programs were developed and implemented to provide a circle of mentors for female faculty. A multi-facet approach was taken for the professional development initiatives including organizing workshops, travel grant program, and formal and informal networking activities. The Family Friendly Initiatives focus on two areas: a Modified Duties Policy and the recruitment and retention of dual career couples. Current family friendly policies at TCNJ were reviewed by an ad hoc committee and the process of developing a formal Modified Duties Policy was initiated through the College governance process.