As we finalize the reporting that marks the end of the 5-year, multi-million dollar NSF grant that launched our efforts, we are excited to share with you the next stage in the evolution and institutionalization of UMass ADVANCE.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Shared faculty leadership has been our hallmark. Jennifer Normanly is taking on the rotating Director’s role this fall, collaborating with faculty from across the university on our Leadership Team. This year, we welcome three new members to the ADVANCE Leadership Team, whose engagement in research and programming for faculty equity have already enriched our campus:
Favorite Iradukunda, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Mark Pachucki, Associate Professor of Sociology
Michele Cooke, Professor of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences
Through our close working relationships with myriad collaborators across the campus administration and faculty, our Leadership Team will continue to translate the findings of our research and analysis into improved tools and strategies for faculty equity.
THE FOCAL THEME FOR ADVANCE IN 2024-25 - Institutionalizing Faculty Equity
With the successful completion of its five-year NSF-funded ADVANCE Institutional Transformation award, ADVANCE is learning what it means to institutionalize faculty-led research and solutions as a permanent, sustainable resource for faculty equity.
Our Research Team members will complete new studies of the spatial dimensions of relationship-building on our campus (Caryn Brause, Architecture), and the dynamics of faculty recognition through formal departmental and college communications (Kelsey Whipple, Journalism). We will also deepen the ADVANCE team’s analysis of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on university systems and culture, and on faculty careers and well-being (Mark Pachucki and Laurel Smith-Doerr, Sociology). Each of these and other faculty-driven research studies will produce practical tools, peer-reviewed articles, and publicly engaged pieces such as our recent articles on the enduring impacts of COVID on faculty inclusion in Inside Higher Ed. Watch for more tools and guidance available on the ADVANCE website, and through our ScholarWorks repository (now DSpace).
ADVANCE FACULTY FELLOWS
The growing network of UMass ADVANCE Faculty Fellows is a key element in the success of our efforts. Faculty Fellows provide recommendations and feedback to the leadership team about ADVANCE programming and liaise with their departments to promote ADVANCE programs and tools. They also inform ADVANCE about successful equity and inclusion initiatives in their units.
Since 2018, over 300 faculty have connected their departments with ADVANCE through this role. The 2024-25 ADVANCE Faculty Fellows are:
College of Education:
- Center for Teaching and Learning, Colleen Kuusinen
- Education Policy, Research and Administration, Kate Hudson
- Student Development, Justin Coles
- Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, Ysaaca Axelrod
College of Engineering:
- Biomedical Engineering, Stacyann Bailey
- Chemical Engineering, Anna LaChance
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Jessica Boakye
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, Fatima Anwar
- Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Muge Capan
College of Humanities and Fine Arts:
- Architecture, Robert Williams
- Art, Juana Valdes
- English, Jenny Adams
- Languages, Literatures and Cultures, David Rodríguez-Solás
- Linguistics, Rajesh Bhatt
- Music and Dance, Erinn Knyt
- Philosophy, Sophie Horowitz
- Writing Center, Shakuntala Ray
College of Information and Computer Sciences:
- CICS, Jay Tanneja
College of Natural Sciences:
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Amy Springer
- Biology, Jessica Rocheleau
- Chemistry, Zhou Lin
- Environmental Conservation, Meg Graham-MacLean
- Food Science, Peiyi Shen
- Geosciences, Christine Hatch
- Mathematics and Statistics, Qian Zhao
- Microbiology, Heather Reed
- Polymer Science and Engineering, Melody Morris
- Stockbridge School of Agriculture, Rachel Hestrin
- Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Alissa Rothchild
College of Nursing:
- Nursing, Lucinda Canty
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences:
- Communication, Roopali Mukherjee
- Resource Economics, Tihitina Andarge
- Journalism, Ah Ram Lee
- Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, Henry Renski
- Political Science, Regine Spector
- School of Public Policy, Bridgette Davis
- Sociology, Sancha Medwinter
Isenberg School of Management:
- Hospitality and Tourism Management, Irem Onder Neuhofer
- Management, Jennifer Kish-Gephart
- Marketing, Veronica Martin-Ruiz
- Operations and Information Management, Monideepa Tarafdar
- Sport Management, Charles Macauley
Libraries:
- Data, Digital Strategies, and Scholarly Communication, Maria Rios
School of Public Health and Health Sciences:
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Nicole VanKim
- Health Promotion and Policy, Aline Gubrium
- Kinesiology, John Sirard
- Nutrition, Sarah Gonzalez-Nahm