Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Wichita State University Begins Project to Hire and Retain More Women, Minority STEM Faculty

  • 08/27/19

WICHITA, KS – Wichita State University (WSU) continues to make strides toward improving opportunities for women in senior leadership, with women currently holding six out of 10 dean positions throughout the university.

Now WSU is taking an even bigger step to increase the number of women—and minorities—among its faculty with a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

The grant funds an 18-month project to improve the university’s hiring and retention of women and minority faculty, particularly in STEM fields.

Included among the many benefits of having a more diverse faculty are the ability to serve a growing diverse student body and surrounding community, and to support greater innovation.

“Students are inspired by teachers who look like them, and diverse groups are more productive, more innovative and have better outcomes. Everyone benefits,” says Janet Twomey, associate dean of the College of Engineering and principle Investigator of the project.

The multidisciplinary team leading the way on the initiative is comprised of Davis Wright and Linnea Glenmaye (sociology), Jean Griffith (English), David Eichhorn and Moriah Beck (chemistry), Gery Markova (business), and Twomey (engineering).

WSU faculty will be asked to participate in a faculty satisfaction survey, and female STEM faculty will participate in focus groups—all with the goal of learning more about existing struggles to advancing their careers as faculty and what the university can do to increase diversity in hiring.

“The university has made great progress in terms of recruiting and retaining a diverse student body, and now we’re taking major steps to do the same for faculty in leadership positions,” says Twomey.

Featured

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Minnesota District Completes $49.7M Addition, Renovation Project

    St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $49.7-million addition and remodeling project at two district schools, according to a news release.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.