2009 Network Leadership Award Recipient—North Dakota State
University FORWARD Program
The 2009 ACE Network Award recipients are the NDSU FOWARD Program (left
to right): Evie Myers, Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Global
Outreach; Charlene Wolf-Hall, Associate Professor of Veterinary and
Microbiological Sciences; Canan Bilen-Green, Associate Professor and
FOWARD Coordinator; Elizabeth Birmingham, Associate Professor of
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering; Ann Burnett, Director of
Women's Studies at NDSU. Photo taken by Lisa Helfert for ACE.
The name of the group, FORWARD, stands for Focus on Resources for
Women's Advancement, Recruitment/Retention and Development. This
talented and dedicated group of women faculty at North Dakota State
University has been working tirelessly for more than two years to
develop an institutional plan to specifically address the recruitment
and retention of women faculty in the STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines.
Several years ago, North Dakota State University was cited in a
ranking conducted by the American Association of University Professors
for having a significant under representation of women within the ranks
of tenured faculty, especially within the STEM disciplines. This finding
underscored an issue of which the NDSU women faculty had been aware. It
also served as a catalyst for the work of FORWARD, under the direction
of Canan Bilen-Green and a small team of researchers, to tackle this
problem by developing a plan and receiving funding to carry it out.
FORWARD fully exemplifies the IDEALS honored by the ACE Network
Leadership Award—Identifying talented women
leaders—developing, encouraging, advancing, linking and supporting
them.
Thomas B. Courtice, Ph.D., President of Academic Search, Inc., addresses
women attending the ACE Network State Coordinators' reception. Academic
Search, Inc. sponsored the reception which had a large turnout. Photo
taken by Lisa Helfert for ACE.
Founded in 2002, FORWARD has been actively engaged in acquiring
federal grants to promote their work and in advocating for the issues
that women faculty cite as problematic. FORWARD has helped to educate
faculty search committees on the need to conduct search processes that
provide fully representative samples in applicant pools. Through these
efforts, FORWARD has helped search committees identify new women faculty
candidates for positions, especially in the STEM disciplines which have
previously been under representative of women. The group established a
mentoring program for women faculty that provided them with
opportunities to meet with more experienced (men and women) faculty who
are committed to helping them be successful here at NDSU—through
their research, teaching, and ongoing professional development
activities. These mentoring relationships can not only assist in the
retention efforts for women faculty, but can also help in guiding them
through career advancement—receiving tenure and promotion or
advancing into administrative roles at the University. All of these
efforts are instrumental in the identification, development,
encouragement and advancement of women leaders at NDSU.
FORWARD pushed for the development of several on-campus lactation
rooms (a benefit for all women on campus) and the expansion of the
campus childcare facilities and hours of operation. These two issues had
long been cited by women faculty as problem areas in creating a truly
inclusive, welcoming environment for women on campus. FORWARD continues
to advocate among administrators for the development of an inclusive
family leave policy. These efforts have all been important in supporting
the women on our campus.
The NDSU Forward Program members joined by Marsha Krotseng (far left),
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Planning and Exec. Dir., College Tech. Ed.
Council North Dakota Univ. System and Donna Burns Phillips (far right),
Director of OWHE. Photo taken by Lisa Helfert for ACE.
In order to maximize the impact of their work, FORWARD has tirelessly
engaged in collaborative work with other campus entities addressing
diversity. These collaborations have helped to develop a stronger sense
of unity among all underrepresented groups and have helped to enlighten
us about the benefits of creating a supportive and inclusive campus
environment for all community members. The leaders of FORWARD recognize
that by linking the women leaders on campus together to address issues
of inclusivity, they can better achieve their mission.
In August 2008, FORWARD learned that they were recipients of a $3
million National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE grant. The funds
received from this grant will directly impact the status of women
faculty at NDSU—in terms of recruitment, retention and
advancement. The primary initiatives of this grant include: assessment
of the current status of women faculty at NDSU to establish an
appropriate benchmark; hire a recruiter to assist faculty search
processes in obtaining appropriately representative applicant pools;
and, provide resources to assist in the advancement of women faculty,
both through the tenure process and into administrative positions. In
addition, the funds will help FORWARD to continue the important work
they have been doing to advocate for various work/family balance issues
on campus (childcare facilities, lactation rooms, family leave policy)
and to further develop the current mentoring program for new women
faculty.
As posted of the website for this group, "NDSU FORWARD is committed
to establishing a university culture in which all are nurtured and
supported to develop to their fullest potential, and the criteria for
success and achievement incorporate unique skills and contributions of
both men and women." FORWARD has definitely lived up to this vision
statement. As a women-led campus entity, they are doing exceptional work
to ensure that NDSU improves as an institution that will be fully
supportive and inclusive of all community members. Their contributions
to the campus have been undeniable. Their continued work at NDSU to
create an inclusive and welcoming environment for women leaders is
instrumental to the transformation of our campus.
Please direct questions about this page to:
owhe@ace.nche.edu | Contact
OWHE/Staff Directory
This page last updated: 03/10/2009
| 2009 ACE Network Leadership Award winner; OWHE, NDSU FOWARD Program |
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