A report in 2006 by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) on faculty gender equity issues concluded, "Women are receiving doctoral degrees at record rates, but their representation in the ranks of tenured faculty remains below expectations, particularly at research universities. Women face more obstacles as faculty in higher education than they do as managers and directors in corporate America." ( AAUP Faculty Gender Equity Indicators 2006 by Martha S. West and John W. Curtis) When discussions began in 2011 between the Office for Women (OFW) and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) about addressing the needs of women faculty, internal data from the university indicated that in 2010, only 22 percent of full professors were women and constituted 30 percent of the tenured faculty at the urban campus.
In seeking ideas to address these issues, the OFW and the OVCR convened a focus group of senior women faculty in the spring of 2011. The participants discussed how the university could increase the participation of women faculty in research activities and support women in advancing their careers. The top request from the women was mentoring.
Another concern for the campus was the retention of URM faculty. Although the percentage of URM faculty on campus matched the national average, recent turnover of recruited URM faculty was noted.
"The challenges and tensions marginalized faculty often face can lead to challenging work environments and can decrease the likelihood of recruitment and retention. URM faculty have reported suffering from the pressures of "cultural taxation," where they are given heavier workloads, in comparison to their majority counterparts, in an effort for their institution to demonstrate a commitment to inclusion and diversity ( Johnson and Lucero, 2003; Rocquemore and Laszloffy, 2008). Additional URM faculty roles may include advising minority students, serving on numerous committees and participating in outreach programs (Conway-Jones, 2006) while having to manage their teaching and research roles ( Johnson and Lucero, 2003). Another barrier experienced by URM faculty includes feeling that, compared to their majority peers, their scholarly work is not treated with the same level of importance (Garrison-Wade et al., 2012), their legitimacy as academics is often questioned, and their contributions to the academy are not recognized." (Stuckey, S. M., Collins, B., & Patrick, S, Grove, K., & Ward, E. (2019). Thriving versus surviving: Benefits of EMPOWER mentoring program on faculty well-being. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 8(4), 378-396)
Subsequently, the OVCR and OFW developed an enhanced mentoring program for women and URM faculty with input from the Office of Academic Affairs. The program is EMPOWER, Enhanced Mentoring Program with Opportunities for Ways to Excel in Research. The first cohort was accepted in the fall of 2011. It is a joint partnership between the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Office for Women.
