To broaden the pool of applicants for faculty positions and thereby increase diversity, department diversity plans for new faculty searches were introduced by the Provost in August 2000. This university-wide requirement obligates all departments to submit a written plan detailing how each will create a diverse and inclusive pool of candidates for a new faculty search. Department Chairs and Search Committee Chairs must attend a workshop conducted by the Provost and the Deans to learn how to conduct an inclusive search. In this workshop, instructions are given on how to create and screen a broad applicant pool. The plan must include a clear commitment to:
- Consider diversity when establishing the search committee
- Advertise in publications focused on underrepresented groups
- Fully consider women and underrepresented minority applicants
- Arranging meetings for candidates with groups focused on diversity
- Address dual career issues
A concerted effort is made so that all STEM women candidates have an informational meeting with ADVANCE personnel and an informal meeting over coffee with a group (8-10) of WISE faculty during their interview.
In 2008, The ADVANCE Program in conjunction with the Office of the Provost currently conducted an analysis of gender diversity in interview pools and actual hires of women in STEM from 1998-2008. This analysis compares data from pre-ADVANCE activities to current data. In addition, gender diversity in candidate pools were analyzed.