ADVANCE Catalyst: Lead & Accelerate University Change for STEM Faculty at West Chester University (LAUnCh STEM at WCU)

The West Chester University (WCU) ADVANCE Catalyst project, LAUnCh STEM at WCU, will undertake an institutional self-assessment directed at improving the career success for STEM faculty at WCU. The project will focus on equitable retention, recruitment, career advancement, and wages. LAUnCh STEM at WCU will assess the current disparities for STEM faculty at WCU and identify institutional barriers that contribute to inequities among STEM faculty. The project will identify successful equity strategies from other ADVANCE institutions for possible adaptation at WCU, and it will generate a five-year university equity strategic plan. The institutional self-assessment, external program investigation, and five-year strategic plan will set a foundation to improve equity for STEM faculty at the institution. This work will benefit STEM disciplines as well as non-STEM disciplines due to the interconnected nature of institutional policy. Results of the project will be regularly communicated with the WCU community. LAUnCh STEM at WCU engages an internal steering committee of upper administrators, an external advisory board and Team Specialists with relevant expertise, and an internal evaluator. The project is expected to add to our understanding of STEM faculty equity issues at a unionized, public, comprehensive, new R2 university. The NSF ADVANCE program is designed to foster gender equity through a focus on the identification and elimination of organizational barriers that impede the full participation and advancement of diverse faculty in academic institutions. Organizational barriers that inhibit equity may exist in policies, processes, practices, and the organizational culture and climate. ADVANCE "Catalyst" awards provide support for institutional equity assessments and the development of five-year faculty equity strategic plans at academic, non-profit institutions of higher education. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.