ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: Presidential Executive Order Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

This last month, President Biden signed an Executive Order Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Government.  The premise is based upon public servants reflecting the communities they serve; this has parallels in academia as well.  ADVANCE at Michigan Tech is very encouraged by these measures to assess DEIA in the workforce . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: Faculty workload equity

Inequitable workload assignments can impact faculty progress and success especially among pre-tenure and URM faculty. This week’s roundup is a blog post and paper that refer to a survey of mostly STEM departments that reveals inequities in faculty workloads. Most significantly, it includes links to a suite of strategies and policies that unit administrators can . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: Silencing those with lower status.

Why do people who know better stay silent in the face of damaging behaviors? Through engaging stories, this article in the journal Studies in Symbolic Interaction discusses how the angry expression of power over others is enabled through the silencing of those with lower status who witness its expression. Status silencing uses the fear of . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: NSF NCSES tracked diversity gains over the last decade – more needed

A statistical abstract report from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics at the National Science Foundation highlights that women holding academic jobs in science, engineering and health fields increased from 26% in 1999 to 39% in 2019, and underrepresented minorities now hold 9%. While we should celebrate these improvements, the reality is that these . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: Gender Matters: The Unique Challenges Facing Women in Education

Gendered expectations impact nearly every aspect of our professional and personal lives, but we can learn to push back against biases.  This is what Jennie Weiner, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Connecticut, addresses as the guest on Harvard Graduate School of Education’s EdCast with Jill Anderson.  Dr. Weiner is also the . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: Documenting the Extent of COVID Career Disruptions

Documenting the impact of the COVID shutdowns during 2020-21 on the productivity and well-being of students and faculty in higher education is critical to responsive efforts toward recovery.  The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has released a report, Impact of COVID-19 on the Careers of Women in Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, documenting the . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: Putting yourself in another person’s position: understanding colleagues with disabilities

Although navigating life through a pandemic has been difficult, ever wonder what navigating life with disabilities is like? Want to support colleagues with different abilities, but felt uncomfortable asking how?  This article contains five questions answered by those with physical, cognitive, or mental disabilities as they navigate daily life.  The article highlights the pressures disabled . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: The ongoing challenge of childcare availability that has been heightened by the pandemic.

The pandemic has heightened awareness of the challenges of access to quality child care at campuses around the country, and the inequities that result when this child care is not available. This is not a new challenge, but it is one that universities are clearly going to need to help address to retain quality faculty, . . .