FORWARD - Focus on Resources for Women's Advancement, Recruitment/Retention, and Development

NDSU FORWARD began as a self-initiated group of NDSU faculty, staff, and administrators interested in submitting a NSF ADVANCE grant proposal.  Very soon, however, the group realized that, while they were developing the ADVANCE proposal, they could also initiate and encourage some institutional changes that would benefit and advance women faculty.

FORWARD, now with participation from each of NDSU's academic colleges, is committed to these specific goals:

  • Improve the climate across the campus and narrow the gap between men's and women's perceptions of the campus climate;
  • Employ targeted recruiting strategies to recruit women faculty;
  • Retain more women faculty through their probationary period and the promotion/tenure process;
  • Support women associate professors as they move to full professor, and hire advanced rank women to build a critical mass; and
  • Promote and hire women faculty into academic leadership positions.
Vision Statement

NDSU FORWARD is committed to establishing a university culture in which all are nurtured and supported to develop to their fullest potential, and the criteria for success and achievement incorporate the unique skills and contributions of both men and women.

NDSU FORWARD will be instrumental in creating a culture of support balanced with concern for personal and family values and responsibilities, enhancing job performance and satisfaction. We envision an environment where women are leaders and decision makers at all levels of the University. By these efforts NDSU will transform as an institution and will demonstrate its commitment to gender equity through a record of accomplishment in recruitment, development,  and retention of women.

Sponsored by National Science Foundation 
ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Award HRD-0811239 

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