Session C - Affinity Groups as a Strategy to Advance Equity Among Faculty (SUNY Geneseo)

Session Information

Title: Affinity Groups as a Strategy to Advance Equity Among Faculty
Session: 12:25 - 1:15 P.M.
Location: FCSI 121
Author(s):
- NSF ADVANCE COPLAC PLAN Team

Abstract

Many studies have demonstrated the significance of virtual mentoring and affinity support for women faculty, through early, mid, and late-career opportunities. Women faculty have found these virtual groups to be useful for advice on publishing, grants, teaching, attaining a work-life balance, and career advice. Mentoring for women seeking to advance to leadership positions has also been shown to be crucial for recruiting and retaining women STEM faculty at all levels of academia. In this presentation, we describe the NSF ADVANCE COPLAC PLAN’s approach to creating virtual affinity groups to support women in STEM across COPLAC. We present data on the effectiveness of these groups and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of our approach. Our goal is to provide a model for how affinity groups can be readily adopted on any campus.

View Powerpoint HERE