|
As a native West Virginian and
a first-generation college student, I personally
recognize the need for more female role models for
our female students. For some students, their
vision of their future may be limited without access
to identifiable role models. I believe that
MU-ADVANCE can serve our students by adding female
faculty members, consequently removing the barriers
that female students perceive – much like walls that
restrict access to science. This grant award at a PUI such
as Marshall provides a unique opportunity to respond
to the National Academies of Sciences call to action
report:
Beyond
Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women
in Academic Science and Engineering(2006)
by the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public
Policy. The timing of the MU-ADVANCE program
provides a unique chance to implement the
recommendations of this Beyond Bias and Barriers
report and to truly impact female and minority
faculty members at Marshall University, at the state
level and potentially across the nation. The
opportunity to investigate the modern avenues of
discrimination would provide a unique chance to
positively impact this challenging work environment. I welcome the opportunity to
investigate these and the many other issues related
to women faculty members. Although the matters may
be unintentional, they are a byproduct of social
structures and unexamined stereotypes that need to
be addressed and challenged.
|
