Communications of the ACM
Colleges Look For New Ways to Help Women in Science
Eve Riskin (center), who directs the University of Washington's efforts to support female scientists and engineers, with colleagues from the university's Center for Institutional Change.
Credit: Daniel Sheehan / The Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges have developed programs to support women in science and engineering through the use of federal grants such as those offered under the U.S. National Science Foundation's Advance program. Advance offers "institutional transformation" grants that can be used to develop a signature initiative whose popularity and effectiveness makes it a leading candidate to continue with some other grant or with the institution's own money.
Examples of projects developed with Advance grants include Case Western University's executive coaching sessions available to new chairs and deans and new female science and engineering professors. University of Washington professors were able to apply for funding from an Advance "transitional support program" to help them cope with major life changes such a parenthood, caring for an elderly relative, and dealing with the death of a family member.
Once the grant money is depleted, institutions must become inventive to sustain such projects. Some schools have tapped on-campus resources, garnered support among top administrators, and scaled back projects in response to budget reductions.
From The Chronicle of Higher Education
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