The Appalachian College Association will receive a $921,168 grant from the National Science Foundation for an ADVANCE Partnership project titled Appalachian Colleges Collaborating for Equity. 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 project will begin in the fall of 2023, and will offer programming through September of 2026.
The Appalachian Colleges Collaborating for Equity project will offer 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).
The ADVANCE program by the National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to foster gender equity by identifying and eliminating organizational barriers impeding the full participation and advancement of diverse faculty in academic institutions. Organizational barriers may exist in policies, processes, practices, and the organizational culture and climate. ADVANCE “Partnership" awards support the adaptation and adoption of evidence-based strategies in higher education and non-academic nonprofit organizations.
