North Dakota State University (NDSU), through its National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE FORWARD institutional transformation project, developed and implemented the Advocates & Allies (A&A) approach, a signature program designed to improve gender equity through the direct and proactive engagement of men faculty.

To further the recruitment, retention, promotion, and sustainability of women faculty in engineering across a broader spectrum of academic institutions ADVOCATE FORWARD builds on A&A successes through an NSF Partnerships for Learning and Adaptation Networks (PLAN) project.  The A&A approach includes:  

Advocates, senior men faculty who educate themselves about issues of gender [in]equity; and

Allies, men faculty whom the Advocates train as proponents for gender equity in their departments.

These men serve as change agents, committing to be active and vocal proponents of gender diversity and equity specifically in terms of increasing the number of women faculty, encouraging the hiring and promotion of women faculty in administrative positions, and ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of women within their units. To further the recruitment, retention, promotion, and sustainability of women faculty in engineering across a broader spectrum of academic institutions ADVOCATE FORWARD builds on A&A successes through an NSF Partnerships for Learning and Adaptation Networks (PLAN) project (see NSF award abstract at https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1500604).

NDSU worked with the following four institutions to establish A&A programs on their campuses; members of those campus communities served on our External Advisory Board for the NSF PLAN project:

• Lehigh University: https://advance.cc.lehigh.edu/men-advocates-and-allies-gender-equity
• West Virginia University
• University of Maine: http://umaine.edu/advancerisingtide/about-us/rising-tide-center-partners/advocates-and-allies/
• Louisiana Tech University

Through the NSF PLAN D project, the following additional four institutions have partnered with NDSU since September 2015 to develop A&A programs:

• Ohio State University: https://womensplace.osu.edu/initiatives-and-programs/advocates-allies
• Rochester Institute of Technology
• University of North Texas https://edo.unt.edu/ally-training
• University of Wyoming

People and Project Organization Chart:

North Dakota State University (NDSU)

• Canan Bilen-Green, Roger Green, Hazel Morrow-Jones, Elizabeth Dell, Christine McGeorge

Ohio State University (OSU)

• Hazel Morrow-Jones, Rudolph Buchheit, Jennifer Beard, Jonathan Baker, Mary Juhas, Joan Herbers

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

• Elizabeth Dell, Robert Garrick, Margaret Bailey

 University of North Texas (UNT)

• Christy Crutsinger, Rick Reidy, John Kuruvilla,

University of Wyoming (UW)

• Jerry Hamann, Tami Benham Deal
   

EAB Members:

• Melissa Latimer (West Virginia University), Marci Levine (Lehigh University), Jenna Carpenter (Campbell University), Karen Horton (University of Maine), Dana Britton (Rutgers University)