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In 2023 the Appalachian College Association received a $921,168 grant from the National Science Foundation for an ADVANCE Partnership project titled Appalachian Colleges Collaborating for Equity (ACCE). This initiative aims to address the significant challenge of hiring and retaining women and underrepresented minorities in STEM faculty positions, particularly at small rural institutions in the Appalachian region. 

The Appalachian Colleges Collaborating for Equity project offers professional development programs, peer mentoring, and academic leadership training tailored to the unique needs of faculty at small rural institutions. "Our goal is to create an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion for women and underrepresented STEM faculty," said Beth Rushing, President of the Appalachian College Association. "By offering enhanced career support for individual faculty and fostering systemic changes in institutional policies, we aim to empower faculty members and drive transformative institutional change for faculty." Dr. Rushing will serve as the Principal Investigator alongside Co-PIs Dr. Grant Willhite (Tennessee Wesleyan University) and Dr. Carey Ruiz (Campbellsville University).

GOALS

Our project has two goals:

• To enhance the career trajectories of individual women and underrepresented minorities in STEM faculty positions at ACA institutions
• To address systemic barriers to equity and inclusion for women and underrepresented minority STEM faculty

NSF ADVANCE

Learn more about the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE program.

Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE Program, Award #2304868 aims to address the significant challenge of hiring and retaining women and underrepresented minorities in STEM faculty positions, particularly at small rural institutions in the Appalachian region. As a non-profit consortium of 33 private four-year liberal arts institutions, the Appalachian College Association (ACA) serves Appalachian communities through the transformational work of its faculty, staff, and students. The National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE program is aimed at increasing the participation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers, thereby developing a more diverse science and engineering workforce. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.