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ADVANCE: Recruitment & Retention Issues. Idalia Ramos UPR-Humacao ADVANCE IT*. Program sponsored by NSF SBE-0123654 and UPR Humacao. Institution Background. UPR Humacao Public undergraduate institution; South Eastern Puerto Rico 4,100 students; 99% Puerto Rican, 70% female
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ADVANCE: Recruitment & Retention Issues Idalia Ramos UPR-Humacao ADVANCE IT* Program sponsored by NSF SBE-0123654 and UPR Humacao.
Institution Background • UPR Humacao • Public undergraduate institution; South Eastern Puerto Rico • 4,100 students; 99% Puerto Rican, 70% female • 340 faculty; 62% female overall; 39% of the faculty in science are female • Strength: applied science and math programs ADVANCE 2004
Recruitment & Retention Process at UPRH • Starting Contracts • Tenure Track, tenure after 5 years of satisfactory work • Substitute: full benefits for a limited period • Temporary: up to 1 year contracts, full or part-time • Time in consecutive temporary contracts can be used for tenure ADVANCE 2004
Barriers for Recruitment and Retention • Freeze in hiring positions • President’s proposal for new faculty regulations • Imposes more limitations to small institutions • No graduate programs allowed • Less autonomy • Advertising faculty positions is not mandatory • if funds are available… ADVANCE 2004
Barriers (cont) • Limited start-up packages • Low “starting salaries” • No graduate programs • 12 credit/hour academic load • Geographical location • Spanish is language of Instruction • Some departments only recruit Spanish speakers ADVANCE 2004
ADVANCE Strategies • Identify and create awareness of issues • Faculty perceptions of the recruitment process at UPR • Meetings and interviews with faculty and administrators to identify barriers and discuss solutions ADVANCE 2004
Stategies (cont) • Develop policies for faculty recruitment and retention • Done with support of legal advisor • Mandatory Adds • How to write and where to publish • Explain hidden benefits • Work life policies, other benefits such as education costs • Salary bonuses • Start-up packages • Dual career couples ADVANCE 2004
Strategies (cont) • While we wait for the policies to be in place: • Work with Chairs and Search Committee to influence recruitment process ADVANCE 2004
Strategies (cont) • Support women faculty • Funding • Mentoring: including promotion process at UPRH • Networking • Faculty in Training • Talented women students mentored and supported to pursue PhDs in Physics, Computational Math or related areas ADVANCE 2004