The Commission on the Status of Women Faculty is seeking nominations or self-nominations of academic departments for the 2014 Advance FORWARD Department Award. The $5,000 award is given to the department that makes the greatest progress in supporting and advancing the five core FORWARD goals.

Those goals include:

• Improve climate: strategies to improve climate in the department and narrow the gap between men’s and women’s perceptions of the campus climate.

• Enhance recruitment: strategies to recruit women, women of color and women with disabilities.

• Increase retention: strategies to regain women in the department through the probationary period and the promotion/tenure process.

• Promote and advance women: strategies to support women associate professors as they move to full professor and to hire women at advanced ranks.

• Create leadership opportunities: strategies to promote women faculty to academic leadership positions.

“This is a great opportunity to recognize departments for their accomplishments and learn from their efforts. We enthusiastically encourage nominations,” said Karen Froelich, commission chair and professor of management.

Nominations should be no more than two pages, explaining what makes the department exemplary regarding improving condition, policies and practices at NDSU.

The nominations should show how the department has worked toward one or more of the five goals established in the National Science Foundation Advance Grant. For each of the goals, the commission is interested in three demonstrable areas: evidence of productive strategies, evidence of the effectiveness of each strategy and the sustainability of efforts.

Nominations should also include a copy of the department’s most recent annual report and pertinent supporting documents.

Nominations, which are due May 2, should be sent electronically to ndsu.forward@ndsu.edu. Questions should be directed to Froelich at karen.froelich@ndsu.edu. 

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.