Grant to be utilized for academic excellence and gender equity initiative

CLEVELAND, Ohio (September 2, 2020) – A team of researchers from Cleveland State University has been awarded a three-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE program for a project titled “Achieving Excellence and Equity through Academic Leadership Development.”

The grant will help continue CSU’s ongoing efforts to achieve gender equity among faculty, particularly STEM faculty. The project will draw on successful national models, both from academia and business, for evidence-based practices that positively impact gender equity and can be adapted to CSU’s specific needs.

The principal investigators for the project are Michael Horvath, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Psychology, Cheryl Bracken, Ph.D., interim vice provost for faculty affairs and professor in the School of Communication, Lili Dong, Ph.D., associate professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and  Joanne Goodell, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Teacher Education. In addition to the principal investigators, the project team includes Toufik Aidja, associate lecturer in Engineering Technology.

The project, which will begin in November 2020, will focus on professional development opportunities for department chairs to enhance their knowledge and the skills they need to foster gender equity. A new cohort of department chairs will join the project each January over the three-year grant period, with the research team providing ongoing support as chairs make plans to implement new practices.  In total, chairs in more than 16 departments across five of CSU’s schools and colleges will take part.

“This grant will enable us to refine and extend proven techniques while adapting them to the CSU environment with the goal of achieving gender equity among our STEM faculty,” said Horvath. “We have a well-rounded team of faculty, administrators and staff from across the university who will work together on this project. Each of us is drawing from our discipline-specific expertise as well as our experience with diversity, equity and inclusion We also plan to expand our team to include other subject-matter experts both internal and external to CSU.”

While the project focuses on STEM faculty, the researchers believe the work will have benefit across the university and will also address how gender intersects with other aspects of identity, including age and national origin.

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About NSF’s ADVANCE program
The objective of the National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE program is to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic STEM fields. ADVANCE encourages institutions of higher education and the broader STEM community to address various aspects of STEM academic culture and institutional structure that may differentially affect women faculty and academic administrators.

About Cleveland State University
Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution that provides a dynamic setting for Engaged Learning. With nearly 16,000 students, ten colleges and schools and more than 175 academic programs, CSU was again chosen for 2020 as one of America’s best universities by U.S. News & World Report. Find more information at www.csuohio.edu.