Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference (2013)
Chapter: Appendix E-1: Call for Written Testimony & Summary of Programmatic Efforts and Recommendations from Written Testimonies
Conference planners sought to engage organizations and professional societies in discussions about the topics on the conference agenda by inviting organizations and individuals to submit a written testimony addressing issues specific to their discipline and/or organization. The written testimony could cover one or more of the following topics (but was not limited to these suggestions):
• Data on women of color within the organization or discipline by gender, race/ethnicity, educational level, and employment sector;
• Challenges or barriers to success that confront women of color in the organization at various stages in their careers from graduate student to working professional;
• Policies and/or programs implemented by the organization to enhance the participation of women of color and to advance their academic careers;
• Lessons learned from any policy and/or program efforts and overall policy recommendations to increase the representation and career satisfaction of women of color in their discipline or organization.
The written testimonies were reviewed by the conference planning committee members for content and suitability. It was the responsibility of the organization submitting the testimony to fact-check any statements or data submitted in their written testimony. All of the written testimonies were posted on the conference website, and distributed at the conference. They informed the conference’s discussions and incorporated viewpoints from important stakeholders in these issues.
Based on the written testimonies that were submitted to the conference, the committee summarized and compiled a list of prevailing practices and recommendations from the written testimonies (See Table E-1-1, Table E-1-2, and Table E-1-3).
Table E-1-1 List of professional societies and federal agencies that submitted written testimony.
|
1 |
American Association for the Advancement of Science |
|
2 |
American Astronomy Society |
|
3 |
American Chemical Society |
|
4 |
American Indian Science & Engineering Society1 |
|
5 |
American Institute of Physics |
|
6 |
American Mathematical Society |
|
7 |
American Meteorological Society |
|
8 |
American Physical Society |
|
9 |
American Political Science Association |
|
10 |
American Psychological Association |
|
11 |
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
|
12 |
American Society for Civil Engineering |
|
13 |
American Society for Engineering Education2 |
|
14 |
American Society for Mechanical Engineering |
|
15 |
American Society for Microbiology |
|
16 |
American Sociological Association |
|
17 |
Association for Women in Mathematics |
|
18 |
Biomedical Engineering Society |
|
19 |
Computer Research Association |
|
20 |
Geological Society of America |
|
21 |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
|
22 |
National Institutes of Health |
|
23 |
National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers |
|
24 |
National Postdoctoral Association |
|
25 |
National Society of Hispanic Physicists |
|
26 |
National Society of Black Physicists |
|
27 |
Rutgers University Women of Color Scholars Initiative |
|
28 |
Society for Neuroscience |
__________________
1 This written testimony is based on the author’s personal experience and the faculty composition at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Utah.
2 This written testimony is based on two programs funded by NSF ADVANCE Program at the North Carolina State University.
Table E-1-2 Prevailing practices on women of color from written testimonies.3
| Prevailing practices | Professional Societies | Federal Agencies | Universities |
| The establishment of boards and committees (including diversity office) within its governance structure to focus on issues of women of color and address their challenges. | 24, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 28 | 21, 22 | 27 |
| The creation of professional development programs (including mentoring programs). | 9, 10, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 28 | 22 | 13, 27 |
| The creation of programs and awards that support women of color by providing travel funds, scholarships, research grant, etc. | 3,6, 8, 10, 16, 18, 24, 26, 28 | 22 | 27 |
| The promotion, endorsement, and conduct of surveys and studies to improve the collection and evaluation of data on women of color. | 1, 5, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 19 | 22 | |
| The inclusion of “diversity” in the professional societies' mission, core value and strategies. | 2, 3, 7, 14, 20, 23, 24, 28 | ||
| Programs to help improve institutional climate in academia, to initiate, or to sponsor diversity events. | 8, 14, 16, 17, 24 | 21, 22 | 4, 13, 27 |
| The development of partnership among professional societies, with federal agencies, universities and other entities. | 7, 9, 12, 14, 17, 23, 25 | ||
| Engagement students in the pipeline and increase recruitment and retention. | 2, 7, 8, 9, 12, 17, 25 | 21 | |
| Recognition of women of color's achievement and accomplishments; and encouragement nominations of women of color for awards/memberships. | 8, 10, 17, 18, 19 | 22 | |
| The integration of trainings and networking opportunities into the societies' meetings. | 7, 10, 11, 18, 26 | ||
| The engagement of women of color in leadership positions. | 1, 7 | ||
| Federal programs to increase recruitment and retention of women and minority workforce. | 21, 22 | ||
| Dissemination of effective practices and successful program experiences | 24, 25 |
__________________
3 The summary is based on information distilled from the written testimonies. It does not include programs or policies that exist but were not mentioned in the written testimonies.
4 Number correlates with organizations listed in Table E-1-1.
Table E-1-3 Recommendations from written testimonies.
| Recommendations | Professional Societies | Federal Agencies | Universities |
| To better collect and report data, and to have more funding available for research related to women of color in STEM. | 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 12, 18, 19, 24 | 21, 22 | |
| To have better and more mentoring (including more resources for building the mentoring network), and to provide role models. | 10, 11, 15, 17 , 18, 23, 24, 28 | 22 | 27 |
| To build, develop and sustain a community for women of color. | 1, 2, 7, 8, 19, 23 | 13, 27 | |
| To build awareness of the issues related to recruitment, retention and advancement of women of color in STEM, and to call for attention on the issues from the entire institution. | 1, 2, 7, 10, 18, 23 | 22 | 27 |
| To focus on the pipeline and attract younger generation to major in STEM and pursue a STEM career; to facilitate the critical transitions for students and faculty (e.g., from undergraduate to graduate, from students to professionals). | 8, 12, 15, 28 | 21, 22 | |
| To engage more women of color in leadership positions; to improve self-empowerment; and to recognize women of color's accomplishment and achievement. | 7, 15, 17, 18, 26 | 13 | |
| To develop and improve work-life balance policies in academia (e.g., flexible working hours, supplement to maternity leave). | 11, 17, 24, 18 | ||
| To reward and recognize institutions of individuals that support women of color. | 2, 10, 18 | 13 | |
| To engage various stakeholders in the conversation (professional societies, industry, government and academia). | 12, 18 | 21, 22 | |
| To identify, highlight, and disseminate model programs and best practices for maximizing talent of women of color. | 10, 19, 28 | 22 | |
| To ensure the diversity component of committees, conference speaker, and prize nomination. | 17, 18 | 27 | |
| To continue federal funding programs (e.g., NSF ADVANCE program), and to gain financial support for meetings, workshops, travels, etc. | 17, 24 | ||
| Federal agency to establish compliance programs to conduct compliance reviews of their grantees. | 26 | 21 |
