Programs

Mini Grants

These grants are designed to stimulate course development, leadership and research as well as to increase retention through strengthened networks and informal mentorship. Grants will range in size from $500 to $15,000, with an expectation to award 5-10 grants yearly. Teams that include men will be eligible to apply. Funds will be offered for course development and to provide seed money for interdisciplinary research collaborations between Rutgers women’s programs and Rutgers SEM faculty. Proposals that study the different career paths of men and women will be particularly encouraged.

To download the RU FAIR Mini Grants Call for Proposals for Cycle 2 (September 2009-August 2010) in PDF format please click here. The due date for applications is 5PM on July 17th, 2009.

To find out about upcoming events and programs funded through RU FAIR Mini Grants, please visit our Mini Grant Events & Programs page.

Professorships

RU- FAIR professorships are modeled on the ADVANCE professorships at Georgia Tech. Three professorships have been awarded to four SEM women faculty who will organize and implement (with the help of staff) a planned program of activities, as outlined in their RU-FAIR professorship proposals. Each professor is expected to serve as a university leader who fosters mentoring, promotes diversity, facilitates communication among our geographically dispersed faculty, and mediates between faculty and administration. Their proposals detail mechanisms for improving conditions for the retention of women and minorities in specific units and strengthening existing women’s networks by fortifying their ties to all relevant campus networks

A Brief Synopsis of the RU FAIR Proposals

Georgia with student Dr. Georgia Arbuckle-Keil plans to conduct exit interviews of both male and female faculty in order to understand the needs of faculty and reasons for departure; conduct a survey of all (male and female) SEM tenure-track faculty with questions focusing on time spent in various activities as this relates to the reward system at the university; enhance communication between women, both within Camden and across the multi-campus system; and develop a leadership development workshop series in Camden.

Dr. Helen Buettner plans to implement a series of workshops including a Promotion & Tenure Workshop, a Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) Workshop, a Career Mapping Workshop, and Informal Research Seminars; institute an Appointments & Promotions Panel, with the purpose of enabling assistant and associate professors to view the evaluation process and network with supportive senior faculty; and develop formal Mentoring Committees.

Drs. Judy Weis & Maggie Shiffrar plan to conduct a current analysis of the judy & maggie status of women on the Rutgers-Newark campus; document the history of the groundbreaking complaint and its resoultion in the 1970s in Newark; fund visits for outstanding young women scientists to the campus in an effort to increase the number of women scientists in tenure-track positions; survey faculty, staff, and students concerning their need for child care; sponsor networking lunches for women SEM faculty, structured as a colloquium or workshop; develop a mentoring program in Newark; and establish a Distinguished Women Scientists Lecture Series.

Life Cycle Grants

Women carry the majority of family responsibilities. The sickness of a
child can shatter well-organized childcare arrangements; the sickness of a parent can require individuals to spend considerable amounts time away from home. Family emergencies can wreak havoc with the completion of research projects and cause professional derailment at crucial junctures in careers. We will offer “life cycle” grants, available to both men and women, to help tide individuals through times of crises. ADVANCE-funded research at the Women in Science and Engineering Institute (WISELI) has shown that women and minorities take disproportionate advantage of these funds (Pribbenow and Benting, 2004; J. Handelsman pers.com).

RU In-Stride

Search committees need a tenacious and an aggressive approach to recruitment and hiring because discrimination in hiring remains a subtle but persistent problem (Trix and Penska, 2003; Rosser, 2004; Roos and Gatta, 2007). These facts are not necessarily well-known among administrators, search committees, and faculty members, nor do all faculty members believe that the recruitment of women (or minority) faculty is either needed or appropriate (Steward et al, 2007a). ). For minorities, the pipeline issue remains acute. Between 2002 and 2006, in science and engineering fields the total number of African American PhD recipients was 3245 and of Hispanic PhD recipients was 3467. During the same period, there were more than 58,000 white PhD recipients (Lederman, 2007). On the positive side, the percentage of minority graduate students is increasing, with both African American and Hispanic groups showing substantial improvements especially in the biological and health sciences and in engineering (Council of Graduate Schools, 2007). For these reasons, we propose that engagement with the faculty in discussions about hiring for diversity and best practices in recruitment will have the strongest chance for making the most lasting changes in Rutgers’ culture. We will adopt a proactive process that will require search committees to look beyond their usual applicant pools.

Evaluation & Benchmarking

Drs. Pat Roos, Mary Gatta, and graduate student assistant, Crystal Bedley, compose our Internal Evaluation Team, which is charged with evaluating, benchmarking, and researching the effects of the RU FAIR initiatives.