RESHAPE Project
Overview of Grant
The NSF ADVANCE program is designed to foster gender equity through a focus on the identification and elimination of organizational barriers that impede the full participation and advancement of diverse faculty in academic institutions. Organizational barriers that inhibit equity may exist in policies, processes, practices, and the organizational culture and climate.
ADVANCE “Catalyst” awards provide support for institutional equity assessments and the development of five-year faculty equity strategic plans at academic institutions of higher education.
Institutional Context
The University of Mississippi (UM) embraces its public flagship mission of inspiring and educating our diverse and vibrant community where all individuals are able to intellectually, socially and culturally thrive through transformative experiences on our campus and beyond. In fulfillment of this mission, we demonstrate a commitment to diversity equity and inclusion through our Pathways to Equity strategic plan that commits UM to initiatives that advance institutional capacity for equity, cultivate a diverse and equitable community, and foster an inclusive campus climate. As part of this planning, UM has identified a need to focus on its capacity for institutional transformation related to recruiting, hiring, and supporting faculty from underrepresented groups—particularly within STEM.
The proposed RESHAPE project will accelerate this momentum. By systematically studying STEM hiring, promotion, and faculty experiences to better understand strengths and weaknesses of current practices, we will create a foundation for data-driven transformational change that aligns with the UM’s Pathways to Equity priorities.
Grant Overview & Goals
The RESHAPE Project stands for Researching Equity Surrounding Hiring and Promotion
Experiences and will be led by an interdisciplinary team at UM. The project is focused on institutional research and is funded to specifically support research related to better understanding women’s representation in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) at UM. Project goals include:
- Gathering and cataloguing institutional data in hiring and promotion across units
- Developing and implementing a processes to track equity in hiring and advancement over time
- Examining policies, procedures, and experiences related to hiring, supporting, evaluating, and promoting faculty
- Building a 5-year strategic plan for addressing STEM inequalities in gender at UM from an intersectional lens
Grant Leadership Team
Stephanie Miller
- Associate Professor of Psychology and Provost Faculty Research Scholar for Institutional Transformation
Kirsten Dellinger
- Associate Dean for Access and Strategic Initiatives and Professor of Sociology
Adam Smith
- Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Co-Director for the Center for Nano-Bio Interactions and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
Carrie Smith
- Associate Professor of Psychology
Joseph Wellman
- Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Experimental Training
UM Leadership Committee
- Provost Noel Wilkins, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Professor of Pharmacy Administration and Research Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Dean Viola Acoff, Dean of the School of Engineering, School of Engineering Professor, Mechanical Engineering
- Associate Provost Virginia Chavis, Associate Provost and Professor of Graphic Design
- Dean Lee Cohen, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Professor of Psychology
- Director Kimberly DeVries, Director of Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance
- Dean Annette Kluck, Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Leadership and Counselor Education
- Vice Chancellor Shawnboada Mead, Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Community Engagement
- Lecturer Elsie Okoye, Lecturer, Geology and Geological Engineering
- Lecturer Jon-Michael Wimberly, Lecturer of Mathematics, Chair of Development and Planning in the Faculty Senate
External Steering Committee
- Donna Garcia, Professor of Psychology at California State University San Bernardino, PI of NSF ADVANCE DEPTH for STEM
- Shauna Morimoto, Professor and Chair of Sociology and Criminology at University of Arkansas, PI for NSF ADVANCE UA ENGAGE
- Cynthia Peterson, Dean of LSU College of Science, Seola Arnaud Richard V. Edwards, Jr. Professor BMD Division, PI for ADVANCE Catalyst at LSU
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.