The FORWARD project will begin its fifth year of programming with a kick-off event scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 30, at 2 p.m. at the President’s House. The kick-off event will include the presentation of this year’s Advance FORWARD Award to the Department of Animal Sciences. The Advance FORWARD Award is given annually by the Commission on the Status of Women Faculty to an academic department whose record reflects outstanding effort to support and advance gender equity in one or more of the five areas/goals established in the National Science Foundation Advance Grant. 

Additional FORWARD events during the school year include a visit by the project’s five-member external advisory board in October, a speed networking event with University of North Dakota faculty on Oct. 26, a visit from Mary Deane Sorcinelli addressing mentoring on Nov. 8, and the Power of Dead Even Rule Workshop by Marie Hvidsten of NDSU Extension in the spring. 

Three promotion to professor luncheons are planned for the year. FORWARD trainings, such as promotion, tenure and evaluation committee training, faculty search committee training and advocates ally training, will take place through the year. 

Details about the dates, times and registration for these and other FORWARD events for the 2012-13 academic year are available on the FORWARD website, www.ndsu.edu/forward and will be announced in It’s Happening at State throughout the year. 

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