An award of $5000 is given to an academic department that makes the greatest effort in supporting and advancing gender equity in one or more of the five areas/goals established in the NSF Advance Grant.

1. Improve Climate: Strategies to improve climate in the department and narrow the gap between men’s and women’s perceptions of the campus climate.
2. Enhance Recruitment: Employing recruiting strategies to recruit women, women of color, and women with disabilities.
3. Increase Retention: Strategies to retain women in the department through probationary period and the promotion/tenure process.
4. Promote and Advance Women: Strategies to support women associate professors as they move to full professor, and hire advanced women.
5. Create Leadership Opportunities: Strategies to promote women faculty in academic leadership positions.

Department Diversity Action Plans

• Management and Marketing

List of Awardees

2009-2010: Biological Sciences. Presented at the FORWARD Fall Kick-Off Event in September 2010 with guest speaker Barbara Ehrenreich.

2010-2011: Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences. Presented at the 2011 Fall Kick-off Event.

2011-2012: Department of Animal Sciences. Presented at the 2012 Fall Kick-off Event.

2012-2013: Department of Computer Science. Presented at the 2013 Fall Kick-off Event.

2013-2014: Department of English. Presented at the FORWARD Fall Kick-Off Event.

2014-2015: Department of Mechanical Engineering. Presented at the FORWARD Fall Kick-Off Event.