AdvanceVT, Reports

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ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant Proposal: Virginia Tech
Hyer, Patricia B.; Thole, Karen A.; Love, Nancy G. (2002)
Virginia Tech proposes a comprehensive program to promote and enhance the careers of women in science and engineering. The project has four major program elements that address institutional barriers that have constrained the advancement of women faculty members in the sciences and engineering (S&E) and target institutional culture, practices, and leadership development needs specific to Virginia Tech. The four program elements are listed here, with outcome measures and process activities that support each element.

Institutionalizing change
Measurable Outcome: A change in the awareness, attitudes, and behaviors of key administrators and faculty members in S&E regarding gender equity issues.

Project Activities: retreats and workgroups for faculty and academic leaders, site visits to or interaction with other ADVANCE projects, qualitative assessment of the experience of women faculty in S&E, and review of policies and programs.

Empowering women as leaders and scholars
Measurable Outcome: A significant increase in the percentage of women in visible positions as academic and technical leaders and as senior scholars in S&E.

Project Activities: half-time placements in leadership roles, research grants, faculty development, a named lecture series, and a flexible work/life fund.

Increasing the representation of women
Measurable Outcome: A significant increase in the percentage of women faculty in S&E.

Project Activities: intensive work with search committees, visits to other campuses and conferences, and incentives for faculty involvement in recruitment activities.

Advancing women into faculty careers

Measurable Outcome: A significant increase in the percentage of women in S&E who choose faculty careers.

Project Activities: program to prepare the future professoriate and expanded dissertation year/postdoctoral fellowship program.
ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award: Virginia Tech - Project Summary
National Science Foundation (Virginia Tech, 2002-09-25)
Virginia Tech proposes a comprehensive program to promote and enhance the careers of women in science and engineering. The project has four major program elements that address institutional barriers that have constrained the advancement of women faculty members in the sciences and engineering (S&E) and target institutional culture, practices, and leadership development needs specific to Virginia Tech. The four program elements are listed here, with outcome measures and process activities that support each element.
AdvanceVT Annual Report : Year 1 : September 2003 - June 2004
Layne, Margaret E. (Virginia Tech, 2004-07-16)
The overall goal of AdvanceVT is to contribute to the development of a national science and engineering academic workforce that includes the full participation of women at all levels of faculty and academic leadership, particularly at the senior academic ranks, through the transformation of institutional practices, policies, climate and culture at Virginia Tech. The program has four major elements: advancing women into faculty careers, increasing the representation of women faculty in science and engineering, empowering women as leaders and scholars, and institutionalizing change.
AdvanceVT Annual Report : Year 2 : September 2004 - June 2005
Layne, Margaret E. (Virginia Tech, 2005-06-22)
The overall goal of AdvanceVT is to contribute to the development of a national science and engineering academic workforce that includes the full participation of women at all levels of faculty and academic leadership, particularly at the senior academic ranks, through the transformation of institutional practices, policies, climate and culture at Virginia Tech. The program has four major elements: advancing women into faculty careers, increasing the representation of women faculty in science and engineering, empowering women as leaders and scholars, and institutionalizing change through policy review.
Significant accomplishments during year two include increased visibility for gender issues campus wide through an annual workshop with nationally recognized speakers; intensive work with department heads including two presentations to the campus-wide department heads’ breakfast roundtable, discussions at college level department head meetings on university policies, and a two-day orientation program for new department heads; education of search committees on unconscious bias; discussions with faculty focus groups on work/life issues; implementation of a campus-wide faculty survey; and initiation of an intensive leadership development program for women faculty.
Faculty Work-Life Survey Data Report : Faculty Recruitment Issues
Glass, Valerie Q. (Virginia Tech, 2005-10-17)
One of the primary goals of AdvanceVT is to increase the representation of women and minority faculty at all ranks in the sciences and engineering. Responses to the AdvanceVT Faculty Work-Life Survey, distributed to all research and teaching faculty in early spring 2005, included questions about the importance of recruiting women and minorities to faculty positions, the effectiveness of recruiting practices, and the contribution of spousal hiring to recruitment. There was also a behavioral measure as respondents who had served on a search committee in the last two years indicated if they had engaged in practices that are associated with diversifying the faculty.
Faculty Work-Life Survey Data Report : Faculty Leadership Issues
Glass, Valerie Q. (Virginia Tech, 2005-10-19)
The AdvanceVT Faculty Work-Life Survey, distributed to all teaching and research faculty in January 2005, addressed, among other things, leadership issues at Virginia Tech. This report presents findings from tenured and tenure- track faculty members (N=816) about items on the questionnaire related to leadership including: aspirations of Virginia Tech faculty members towards leadership positions, their views about the possibility of maintaining a balance between leadership and other responsibilities, trust and confidence in departmental and university leaders, perceptions about the representation of women and minorities in leadership roles, and departmental support for women and minorities.
Faculty Work-Life Survey Data Report : Work-Life Issues
Glass, Valerie Q. (Virginia Tech, 2006-01-30)
Balancing work and family issues has captured a great deal of attention in higher education over the last several years. Both Academe (November-December 2004), the journal of the American Association of University Professors, and Change magazine (November-December 2005) have devoted entire issues to these topics. The American Council on Education, with the support of the Sloan Foundation, has also published an influential report (Agenda for Excellence: Creating Flexibility in Tenure-Track Faculty Careers), created panels at most major higher education association meetings, and held invitational conferences to encourage universities to adopt more flexible policies related to faculty careers. For all research universities, the critical connection is to be able to recruit and retain the best faculty talent from a doctoral pool that is far more diverse than it was a generation ago. And there is a growing body of research that tells us that work-life issues have an important impact on faculty productivity, satisfaction, and retention. For women scientists and engineers, balancing work and family emerged as the most significant issue they faced in a study by Sue Rosser, an influential figure in gender and science (Rosser, 2004).
Virginia Tech has been a participant in many of these national discussions. The AdvanceVT survey distributed to all teaching and research faculty in January 2005, and focus group discussions conducted in April 2005, provide a great deal of information about how Virginia Tech faculty members experience work-life balance issues. This report summarizes key findings from tenured and tenure track faculty at Virginia Tech about a range of work-life factors, including perceptions about the departmental and university climate, dual career issues, and balancing personal and family responsibilities. The report highlights implications of these issues for job satisfaction and intention to remain at Virginia Tech and attitudes about a number of new work-life initiatives, including policies to delay the tenure clock and dual-career hiring.
AdvanceVT Project Overview and Progress to Date
Layne, Margaret E. (Virginia Tech, 2006-06-06)
Virginia Tech proposed to the National Science Foundation a comprehensive program to promote and enhance the careers of women faculty in science and engineering. AdvanceVT has four major program elements addressing institutional barriers that have constrained the advancement of women faculty members in the sciences and engineering and targeting institutional culture, practices, and leadership development needs specific to Virginia Tech. These four program elements are institutionalizing change, empowering women as leaders and scholars, increasing the representation of women in science and engineering, and advancing women into faculty careers. A comprehensive portfolio of assessment techniques tracks the impact of individual program activities as well as the program as a whole.
AdvanceVT Annual Report : Year 3 : September 2005 – August 2006
Layne, Margaret E. (Virginia Tech, 2006-07-14)
The overall goal of AdvanceVT is to contribute to the development of a national science and engineering academic workforce that includes the full participation of women at all levels of faculty and academic leadership, particularly at the senior academic ranks, through the transformation of institutional practices, policies, climate and culture at Virginia Tech. The program has four major elements: advancing women into faculty careers, increasing the representation of women faculty in science and engineering, empowering women as leaders and scholars, and institutionalizing change through policy review.
Significant accomplishments during year three include increased visibility for gender issues campus wide through widely disseminated publications, a special university-wide conference on work life issues for academic leaders co-hosted with the President’s Office, engagement with Faculty Senate and the Commission on Faculty Affairs, and an annual AdvanceVT workshop hosted jointly with the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs; intensive work with department heads including discussions at college level department head meetings on university policies and a two-day orientation program for new department heads; education of search committees on unconscious bias; dissemination of findings of the campus-wide faculty survey, focus groups, and exit survey; and completion of the first cohort of women faculty participating in the intensive leadership development program.
AdvanceVT Annual Report : Year 4 : September 2006 – August 2007
Layne, Margaret E. (Virginia Tech, 2007-06-26)
The overall goal of AdvanceVT is to contribute to the development of a national science and engineering academic workforce that includes the full participation of women at all levels of faculty and academic leadership, particularly at the senior academic ranks, through the transformation of institutional practices, policies, climate and culture at Virginia Tech. The program has four major elements: advancing women into faculty careers, increasing the representation of women faculty in science and engineering, empowering women as leaders and scholars, and institutionalizing change.
Significant accomplishments during year four include approval of a new part-time employment policy for tenure track faculty by the university governance structure and board of visitors, draft of a manual of successful strategies for developing and maintaining a positive department climate, presentations to the Task Force on Race and the Institution and the Black Caucus of findings from the 2005 faculty survey, and development and release of a request for information to commercial day care providers, in addition to maintaining a portfolio of workshops, seminars, grants, fellowships, and development programs. AdvanceVT hosted the Transforming the Professoriate conference for underrepresented graduate students and post-doctoral associates preparing for faculty careers in summer 2006.
Faculty Perceptions of Climate and Job Satisfaction by Race/Ethnicity: Findings from 2005 AdvanceVT Work-Life Survey
Saddler, Tonya N.; Creamer, Elizabeth G. (Virginia Tech, 2007-08)
There has been increased attention given to the status of ethnic minority faculty members in American higher education over the past few decades. While minority faculty continue to increase their presence in the professoriate, they represent approximately 15% of full-time faculty members in American colleges and universities. Of this figure, 6.6% are Asian American, 3.2% are Hispanic, and 5.3% represent Black faculty members (Cook & Cordova, 2006; Chronicle of Higher Education, 2006).
Because ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the academy, work life issues, including quality of life, impacting this population have become a national issue (Holcomb-McCoy & Addison-Bradley, 2005; Tack & Patitu, 1992). Perceptions about the work environment have been linked to overall satisfaction with work. For example, factors such as non-supportive colleagues, unwelcoming institutional and departmental climates, and departments lacking diversity contribute to an individual’s perception of the work place being collegial (Cooper, Ortiz, Benham, & Scher, 2002; Tack & Patitu, 1992). Such factors (among others) have been found to be directly related to predicting satisfaction with work environments for faculty members regardless of ethnicity (Saddler & Creamer, 2006).

This report examines factors associated with the satisfaction of ethnic minority faculty members at Virginia Tech. Data from the 2005 AdvanceVT Work-Life Survey provide insight about ethnic minority faculty members’ perceptions about university and departmental climate at the institution. Most of these data were shared in presentations during spring 2007 to the Task Force on Race and the Institution and the Black Caucus. The report is intended to generate dialogue about items to add to the AdvanceVT Work-Life Survey when it is re-administered in fall 2008.
Creating a Positive Departmental Climate at Virginia Tech: A Compendium of Successful Strategies
Finney, Jack W.; Finkielstein, Carla V.; Merola, Joseph S.; Puri, Ishwar; Taylor, G. Don; Van Aken, Eileen M.; Hyer, Patricia B.; Savelyeva, Tamara (Virginia Tech, 2008-05-05)
“Creating a Positive Departmental Climate at Virginia Tech: A Compendium of Successful Strategies” was created as part of the AdvanceVT Departmental Climate Initiative (DCI). The Department Climate Committee collected policies and practices from a variety of sources to provide department chairs and heads with opportunities to learn about departmental issues at Virginia Tech, to understand more fully the ways in which these issues manifest themselves within departments, and to share both successful and unsuccessful strategies illustrative of the different approaches departments have taken towards promoting effective, efficient, and pleasant work environments.
AdvanceVT Annual Report : Year 5 : September 2007 – August 2008
Layne, Margaret E. (Virginia Tech, 2008-06-17)
The overall goal of AdvanceVT is to contribute to the development of a national science and engineering academic workforce that includes the full participation of women at all levels of faculty and academic leadership, particularly at the senior academic ranks, through the transformation of institutional practices, policies, climate and culture at Virginia Tech. The program has four major elements: advancing women into faculty careers, increasing the representation of women faculty in science and engineering, empowering women as leaders and scholars, and institutionalizing change.

Significant accomplishments during year five include the submission of a collaborative proposal for a PAID grant to disseminate AdvanceVT’s leadership coaching model throughout Virginia with the ACE Virginia Network, James Madison University, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Virginia Community College System. Also, after a two year effort, AdvanceVT unveiled Creating a Positive Departmental Climate at Virginia Tech: A Compendium of Successful Strategies. The compendium draws from results of an initial 2006 Departmental Climate Initiative survey, AdvanceVT workshop discussions on existing strategies, AdvanceVT 2003 faculty work-life survey data, a literature review, and materials from other institutions. In addition to maintaining a portfolio of workshops and seminars, AdvanceVT co-hosted the fifth annual “Advancing Diversity at Virginia Tech” conference on January 8, with the Office of Multicultural Affairs. AdvanceVT also began development of a database of potential faculty candidates, with a focus on candidates with diverse backgrounds, in collaboration with the Office for Equal Opportunity.
AdvanceVT Annual Report : Year 6 : September 2008 – August 2009
Layne, Margaret E. (Virginia Tech, 2009-07-31)
The overall goal of AdvanceVT is to contribute to the development of a national science and engineering academic workforce that includes the full participation of women at all levels of faculty and academic leadership, particularly at the senior academic ranks, through the transformation of institutional practices, policies, climate and culture at Virginia Tech. The program has four major elements: advancing women into faculty careers, increasing the representation of women faculty in science and engineering, empowering women as leaders and scholars, and institutionalizing change.

Significant accomplishments during year six include the expansion of available child care described above, the culmination of many years of effort by university leaders supported by the AdvanceVT program. AdvanceVT also conducted a repeat of the Faculty Work- Life survey in fall 2008 and submitted a proposal for a PAID grant to study changes in perceptions of leadership at ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant recipient institutions. In addition to maintaining a portfolio of workshops and seminars for current and future faculty, AdvanceVT co-hosted the sixth annual “Advancing Diversity at Virginia Tech” conference on January 12, with the Office of Equity and Inclusion, with a record 300 attendees.
AdvanceVT Final Report
Layne, Margaret E.; Hyer, Patricia B. (2010)
The overall goal of AdvanceVT is to contribute to the development of a national science and engineering academic workforce that includes the full participation of women at all levels of faculty and academic leadership, particularly at the senior academic ranks, through the transformation of institutional practices, policies, climate and culture at Virginia Tech. The program has four major elements: advancing women into faculty careers, increasing the representation of women faculty in science and engineering, empowering women as leaders and scholars, and institutionalizing change. Virginia Tech has institutionalized many of the Advance initiatives, particularly those related to work-life balance and faculty recruiting. This report provides an overview of grant activities and summative assessment of impacts.
An Examination of Departure Trends and Tenure Rates among Pre-Tenure Faculty: A Ten Year Cohort Study (1996 – 2005)
Cameron, Tracey LaShawne; Hyer, Patricia B. (Virginia Tech, 2010-04)
The environmental landscape of American higher education is undergoing a major transformation. With the increased minority enrollment and impending exodus of retiring faculty, recruiting and attracting a diverse and excellent professoriate is more important than ever before (Van Ummersen, 2005). Recognizing the critical role that a diverse faculty plays in the collegiate experience of students from underrepresented groups, colleges and universities have focused increased attention on hiring women and ethnic/cultural minorities (Smith, Turner, Osei-Kofi, & Richards, 2004). These efforts have resulted in the gradual increase of traditionally underrepresented faculty during the past decades.

While the availability of doctorates from more diverse backgrounds has fueled progress in faculty hiring, lower retention rates of women and minorities reduce the rate of progress in diversifying the tenured faculty workforce. Some turnover, whether voluntary or involuntary, is expected. It is necessary in instances of poor teaching performance or low research productivity. It is also a natural consequence of professional advancement (Xu, 2008; Zhou & Volkwein, 2004). Excessive turnover, however, yields undesirable outcomes. Turnover can influence departmental culture, disrupting progress and resulting in the redistribution of teaching loads, advising assignments, and committee tasks. It also presents a financial burden to the institution, resulting in lost return on investment (Xu, 2008). While turnover is inevitable, understanding the factors that contribute to unwanted losses and how these factors affect a faculty member’s decision to depart, warrant significant attention (Xu, 2008). The ongoing monitoring of recruitment and retention practices is one step towards ensuring faculty success and institutional excellence.
Salary Equity Study 2010
Virginia Tech. Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (Virginia Tech, 2010-08-03)
As part of the ongoing AdvanceVT program, Virginia Tech conducts salary equity studies on a regular basis to determine sources of variation in faculty salaries. This year’s equity study, conducted by the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, analyzed salary data from December 2009 to reflect a timeframe similar to the previous studies. Considerable attention was paid to race/ethnicity as well as gender as factors in explaining variation in salaries. As in the past, the analysis was completed using the Paychecks1 methodology of using multiple regression techniques in which factors that are expected to affect pay are analyzed for their ability to explain variation in salaries. This report is a summary of findings of this study of factors affecting differences in faculty salary for tenured and tenure-track instructional faculty at Virginia Tech.
The report proceeds with an explanation of the variables considered in the analysis, a description of the population involved in the study, a summary of the models generated in the analysis, an interpretation of the results, and some known short-comings of the report dealing with data quality issues.
AdvanceVT Seed Grants: Summative Assessment
AdvanceVT (Virginia Tech, 2010-09)
AdvanceVT research seed grants provided funding to support pre-tenure, tenure-track women faculty in developing successful proposals for external grant funding. In addition to research equipment and supplies, seed grants provided travel funds to visit colleagues at other universities and funds to support graduate students to help acquire data needed to write more competitive proposals. Although the dollar amount of the seed grant awards varied, recipients received an average of $10,000 from AdvanceVT that was matched by their respective college and/or department.
AdvanceVT PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program : Summary Report
AdvanceVT (Virginia Tech, 2010-11)
AdvanceVT supported ten postdoctoral fellows and nine PhD fellows during academic years 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08, years two through five of the grant. The fellowships supported young scholars preparing for a faculty career, especially individuals from groups historically underrepresented in the professoriate. A mentoring plan was a key component of the fellowship, ensuring that the fellow developed appropriate knowledge and skills with support from senior colleagues. A member of the AdvanceVT leadership team met with each fellow and her mentor(s) mid-way through the fellowship year to review progress on the mentoring plan, and fellows were asked to report on the outcomes of their fellowship at the end of the year. All fellows reported at least one publication or conference presentation developed as a result of the fellowship.
AdvanceVT Leadership Development Programs : Final Assessment
AdvanceVT (Virginia Tech, 2010-11)
Each academic year from 2004-05 through 2007-08, AdvanceVT offered faculty women opportunities to develop leadership skills and to enhance their visibility in the university. Among respondents to AdvanceVT’s 2005 Faculty Work-Life Survey, 47% of the tenured and tenure-track women indicated that they aspired to a leadership position beyond their current position compared with only 31% of the male respondents, and 77% of the women versus only 55% of men indicated an interest in opportunities to develop their leadership skills. However, only 29% of the women faculty and 48% of the men agreed that it is possible to hold a leadership position at Virginia Tech while balancing work and personal responsibilities, and even fewer (18% of women and 24% of men) believed that it is possible to maintain an active research program while in a leadership role. AdvanceVT’s leadership programs were designed to address women faculty members’ interest in leadership development as well as concerns about balancing demands of research and family with a leadership role.