Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Deanne Snavely, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, is part of a consortium of western Pennsylvania and northern Ohio universities to promote gender equity for faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs.
Snavely will work with two faculty members from Case Western Reserve on the three-year, $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation's Advance Program. The grant is to fund efforts to increase women in full-time, tenured professorships in the STEM disciplines.
Lynn Singer, Case Western Reserve's deputy provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and professor of epidemiology and biostatistics, pediatrics, psychiatry, and psychology, is the principal investigator. Diana Bilimoria, KeyBank professor and chair of the Department of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve's Weatherhead School of Management, is Snavely's co-principal investigator.
“National Science Foundation grants are extremely competitive and prestigious. IUP is proud to be a partner in the consortium, and we are especially proud of Dr. Snavely's role in securing funds for this important initiative,” IUP Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Timothy Moerland said.
The program expands upon a 2009 initiative that involved a consortium of northern Ohio colleges and universities called Institutions Developing Excellence in Academic Leadership (IDEAL). Snavely participated in this previous project.
The 2015 project, called IDEAL-National (IDEAL-N) includes four western Pennsylvania institutions: IUP, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, and the University of Pittsburgh.
“This is the right time for IUP to be part of this initiative. We have a history of promoting our women faculty and students in the STEM fields through a number of initiatives, and this project will add to our efforts to ensure gender equity in these important disciplines.
“This project aligns with the CNSM mission of changing students' lives through science and math, with graduates who will change the world as educators, scientists, and leaders. Promoting gender equity in science and math is part of this work.”
IUP is in the beginning stages of a building project for a new science building and renovation of the entire learning space of the college. The opening of the new facility is tentatively planned for 2020.
Initially, Snavely, Singer, and Bilimoria will work to assess the institutional climate for women on the participating campuses and share best practices for supporting women as they pursue careers in STEM.