Incongruous and gendered faculty reward systems contribute to the under-representation of women among engineering faculty, which is especially problematic at the senior rank of Professor. As of 2017, women comprised only 12% of engineering Professors in U.S. universities and 4-year colleges. In recent years, data showing faculty dissatisfaction about the Associate-to-Full promotion led WPI, a STEM-intensive, research-intensive institution, to tackle this problem. After three years of debate and negotiation, in 2017 the faculty and administration approved a new policy that defines and welcomes multiple forms of scholarship, adopting the model proposed by Ernest Boyer in 1990. However, previous work had documented challenges with the implementation of Boyer’s model. With those challenges in mind, the university applied for and received an ADVANCE Adaptation grant from the NSF in 2018, aimed at enacting the new policy effectively and sustaining it over the long term. This paper shares work-in-progress and early outcomes specific to policy and process clarification. This work is significant because it shows the potential of promotion reform to elevate teaching and community engagement in ways that may also advance goals of gender equity. Simultaneously, it reinforces the need for deeper change in cultures and alignment of values and practices across levels of the university in order to achieve enduring institutional transformation.
Dr. Chrysanthe Demetry is Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Her scholarship focuses on faculty development, materials science education, K-12 engineering outreach, and intercultural learning in experiential education abroad. As director of the Morgan Center at WPI since 2006, Demetry coordinates programs and services fostering excellence and innovation in teaching at WPI. She is co-PI of WPI's ADVANCE Adaptation grant focusing on the Associate-to-Full promotion system for both tenured and teaching/research-track faculty.
Elizabeth Long Lingo is an expert on how people co-create and advance novel solutions and systemic change, with a particular interest in gender equity and leadership outcomes. Her research has been published in top academic journals and featured in global news outlets. She is Co-PI on WPI's ADVANCE NSF Adaptation grant.
Jeanine Skorinko is a Professor of Psychology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and her research program attempts to understand how factors in our social environment, especially those factors we are unaware of, influence decisions and interpersonal interactions. Ultimately, my research aims to promote and enhance equality, diversity, and cultural understanding.
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