ADVANCE: About BSU ADVANCE

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) ADVANCE program supports projects designed to increase the participation and advancement of women in academic science and Engineering Careers. In 2012, a team from BSU was awarded a two year, $194,000 IT-Start grant (HRD – 1409348) to support data collection and analysis to investigate the importance of workplace flexibility for women in STEM at a teaching-intensive university. NSF’s definition of STEM includes the natural as well as the social sciences. Thankfully, while this grant supports data collection from STEM faculty, all changes and recommendations arising from this work can impact the entire campus. With research we can advocate for change and transform the institution.

Bridgewater State University is a regional, Master’s level (M1) state university located in Southeastern Massachusetts with over 11,000 students and more than 350 full time and 450 part time faculty. Full time faculty teach 4 courses (12 credits) per semester. The Massachusetts State College Association union represents all full and part time faculty and librarians.

There are three overarching questions guiding the team’s investigations:

1. How do opportunities for workplace flexibility impact women in STEM at teaching intensive universities
2. How can a teaching institution provide increased workplace flexibility to full-time faculty members, especially during particular times of need (e.g., family leave, pre-tenure status, etc.)?
3. What role does workplace flexibility play in the career paths of part-time faculty, and how can the institution support faculty who work part-time?

Data were collected using surveys and interviews, and findings can be found  under Our Research Questions and Methods. The project has an internal advisory board made up of stakeholders from across campus (deans, human resources, faculty development leaders, union representation, faculty, etc.) and has an external evaluator as well.