ODU RISE has three goals:
- Increase the recruitment and hiring of women, particularly women of color, STEM faculty;
- Increase the tenure and promotion of women, particularly women of color, STEM faculty; and,
- Improve departmental climate to enhance inclusivity.
The RISE project uses evidence-based strategies drawn from previous ADVANCE programs and adapted to the environment at Old Dominion University. These interventions will:
- Provide resources for STEM departments for hiring and holding departments and deans accountable for hiring practices;
- Create processes for equitable launch upon hire, equitable distribution of service, and increased transparency in the evaluation of scholarly work and promotion and tenure guidelines;
- Implement strategies and programs to foster academic culture change that result in departments where diverse STEM faculty can thrive.
The goals and activities are mutually supportive, reciprocal, and necessary for progress and sustainability. RISE aims to raise awareness about equity issues among faculty members and improve the departmental climate of all STEM disciplines. The outcomes will bring tangible and sustainable benefits to ODU’s campus and society at large. RISE will raise awareness of equity among all faculty in the STEM disciplines. A more diverse faculty will directly impact broader participation in the STEM disciplines and will enhance ODU’s efforts to influence positively the trajectory of women students, particularly women of color STEM students, into STEM fields. The dissemination of research and experience from ODU RISE will impact national consciousness on reducing barriers to the full participation of faculty of all backgrounds in STEM departments and beyond. In the future, as ODU shares its story, the university can present a template of equity and inclusion in STEM.