ADVANCE IT: ADVANCE at Washington University

The Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) ADVANCE Institutional Transformation (IT) project called AIM for Equity (Activating Intersectionality through civic Mindfulness for Equity), will target systemic causes of inequity for STEM faculty identified by the institution. The project includes institution-wide efforts to empower department heads and school leaders with knowledge to develop and implement evidence-based faculty policies and practices that create supportive and inclusive academic workplaces and improve work-life balance and job satisfaction.

Other components will focus on improving STEM faculty recruitment, retention, tenure and promotion policies to align with the mission and long-term goals in WashU’s 2022 "Here and Next" ten-year strategic plan. The project will draw on concepts of civic mindfulness to scaffold change, ultimately creating an organizational climate and culture where faculty of all backgrounds and social identities can succeed and thrive.

The innovation in this IT project is the focus on "civic mindfulness," which is conceptualized as collective responsibility for institutional success. AIM for Equity will pursue culture change by fostering empathy, compassion, and shared accountability among faculty and leaders. The AIM for Equity model of civic mindfulness incorporates cultural humility and anti-racism.

This approach is expected to have positive outcomes for all faculty, but particularly women and faculty at the intersection of multiple marginalized social identities. The project will study the benefits of addressing community care and shared responsibility to promote systemic change and equity in STEM academic workplaces. The mindfulness programming is intended to be a model that could be adapted by other organizations/academic institutions.

The project includes social science research comparing private institutions’ responses to external forces requiring the implementation of pay transparency policies and practices. Resources, findings, and outcomes will be disseminated internally and publicly through a dedicated website, social media, presentations and convenings, and external publications.

The NSF ADVANCE program is designed to foster gender equity by identifying and eliminating organizational barriers to the full participation and advancement of diverse faculty in academic institutions.  These barriers to equity may exist in policies, processes, practices, and the organizational culture and climate. ADVANCE "Institutional Transformation" awards help develop and test new systemic change strategies for gender equity in institutions of higher education.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.