Grants or Gifts Relating to Women in Higher Education

Here is this week’s news of grants and gifts that may be of particular interest to women in higher education.

Murray State University in Kentucky has received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to promote strategic equity initiatives for women faculty members within STEM disciplines. The grant will provide funding for interactive modules that address implicit bias in research, tenure and promotion processes, the incorporation of programs to improve the retention and advancement of women faculty, the adaptation of programs from peer institutions, and the creation of a President’s Work-Life task force, among other initiatives.

The State University of New York Geneseo has received an $883,754 grant from the National Science Foundation to support women faculty in STEM disciplines. The new funds will bring research-based training in gender equity issues to administrators and provide networking opportunities for women faculty and faculty from underrepresented groups.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has received a $1.25 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support gender equity in STEM disciplines. The grant will enable UAB to join with the University of Alabama Huntsville, Alabama A&M University, Miles College, and Oakwood University in a partnership to implement evidence-based activities that will lead to new policies and policy changes that promote gender equity for STEM faculty in the academic workplace.

Wichita State University has received a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation that will fund an 18-month project to improve the university’s hiring and retention of women and minority faculty, particularly in STEM fields. For the project, WSU faculty will be asked to participate in a faculty satisfaction survey, and women STEM faculty will participate in focus groups. Through these efforts, the project aims to learn more about existing struggles to advancing women’s careers as faculty and what WSU can do to increase diversity in hiring.