Academics

UMass ADVANCE Announces New Collective Award Opportunity

UMass ADVANCE is pleased to announce a new collective award opportunity for faculty: the ADVANCE Award for Equitable Practices in Collaboration and Shared Decision-Making (EPiC-SD) to recognize faculty groups that practice effect and equitable shared decision-making.

Self-nominations are due by Friday, April 29.

NEWS ADVANCE Faculty logo

Significance

Research shows that when all voices are heard, especially the voices of women and BIPOC faculty, decision-making is better and has more effective outcomes. Our goal is to recognize collective efforts that develop practices promoting equitable collaboration and shared decision-making.

Prize

$500 to support your group's ongoing collaborations, as well as a prominent place on the ADVANCE website with photo and press release to various channels recognizing your group’s shared practices.

Eligibility

  • Faculty led groups of three or more faculty members are eligible to self-nominate.
  • Groups must be comprised of a majority of faculty who are members of MSP or are currently serving as Chairs/Heads.
  • Groups may be formal organizational units (e.g., departmental committees, working groups) or informal collectives (e.g., mutual mentoring groups).
  • One group member may take the lead in submitting the self-nomination, but all group members will need to agree to the nomination via a DocuSign document.

Review Criteria

This award recognizes promising practices in shared decision-making and equitable group processes; we know that no group is perfect but ADVANCE seeks to highlight specific practices that lay the foundation for greater equity.

Applications will describe practices, initiatives, and/or particular pieces of work produced by the group that signify equitable shared decision-making processes

These could include but are not limited to:

  • bylaws
  • community agreements
  • setting up programs for mentoring approaches
  • informal practices for including all voices in decisions
  • ranked choice voting techniques
  • online communication practices
  • collaborative teaching practices among faculty
  • equitable division of credit among research collaborators

Applications will be reviewed collaboratively by a committee of faculty from different colleges, using ADVANCE guidance for equitable peer review.

Learn More and Nominate Your Faculty Group: https://www.umass.edu/advance/collaboration-award

Contact Donna Baron at dbaron@umass.edu with questions.