University of Virginia Looks to Boost Women Faculty in STEM Fields

The University of Virginia is launching a new program to increase the number of women faculty in STEM disciplines and in social science fields where women are underrepresented. The program is funded by a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation. In 2011, 13.7 percent of the tenure and tenure-track faculty in STEM fields at the University of Virginia were women.

The program is being launched this week with a convention that will include seminars and presentations and a keynote address by Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. Dr. Hrabowski has been a leading advocate for increasing diversity in STEM fields.

The new program at the University of Virginia will include several initiatives. During the first year of the program departments will assess their climate for women faculty and explore structural reforms that may boost the number of women in teaching positions. During the second year of the program, a “Tournament of Ideas” will be conducted where departments can win cash awards for their plans to help them increase faculty diversity.