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.