More About Mizzou ADVANCE
While MU has taken steps forward in addressing gender equity issues, more work needs to be done. For example, as of 2004, women represented just 15% of all tenured and tenure-track faculty in STEM departments (49 of 332) and only 14 women were full professors in STEM departments. Helping to improve this situation is where Mizzou ADVANCE comes in.
Mizzou ADVANCE provides a methodology for identifying structural, policy, and cultural practices that might hinder the advancement of women. Through dissemination of national research, analysis of current climate and policy, discussion groups, and workshops, Mizzou ADVANCE aims to raise awareness about the specific conditions that promote gender equity. The methodology we develop can be used in a variety of workplace communities to realize meaningful and sustainable change.
Mizzou ADVANCE focuses on the specific needs of women faculty members and builds on the conceptual models of "unconscious bias" and "social capital theory."
- Unconscious bias refers to the unconscious stereotypes about gender differences held by both men and women. This bias negatively impacts how women's work and accomplishments are perceived and evaluated.
- Social capital refers to the knowledge generated through interdependences, relationships, and networks or, in other words, "who you know." Women identify isolation, marginalization, and exclusion from informal networks and mentors as constraints to their productivity.
Dr. Virginia Valian has conducted extensive research on women in the sciences. Dr. Valian has created a free, open-access, web-based tutorial on these issues.
Given these conceptual models, Mizzou ADVANCE is focused on:
- Educating administrators and faculty on gender equity issues
- Building a support and mentoring infrastructure
These efforts will improve the work climate for all faculty - men and women, junior and senior.
MU received this grant, in part, because we have already identified the need for increased workforce diversity. The establishment of the Chancellor's Diversity Initiative, which is responsible for facilitating a campus-wide strategic diversity planning process, is one sign of the priority of diversity initiatives on campus.
Mizzou ADVANCE Grant (pdf)
