Rep. Lee Announces $1 Million Grant to Nevada State College to Address Equity and Improve Retention Among STEM Faculty
Statement
Today, Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03) announced that Nevada State College (NSC) has been awarded a $1 million ADVANCE grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund the college's "Pursuing Equity to Enhance Retention (PEER)" Project, which aims to address workload disparities among science faculty and address system inequities within the institution's policies and culture. The goal of the NSF ADVANCE program is to foster gender equity through a focus on the identification and elimination of organizational barriers that impede the full participation and advancement of diverse faculty in academic institutions.
"It is critical that we continue to support the advancement of STEM research, and in order to do so, we must make sure that our academic workforce is equitable and free of obstacles that hinder career development," said Rep. Lee. "I'm proud to announce this grant, and I'm eager for Nevada State College to use this funding to build a more inclusive environment for its faculty, improve retention, and ultimately create better outcomes in southern Nevada."
"The Pursuing Equity to Enhance Retention (PEER) Project is yet another step for Nevada State to serve the new majority of students entering higher education," said NSC President Dr. DeRionne Pollard. "This award will grow our community efforts to support faculty, create more infrastructure for an inclusive workforce, and help make Nevada State an employer of choice."
"I am excited that Nevada State will join the ADVANCE community as one of the few teaching-oriented, minority-serving institutions to receive funding," said Laura Naumann, principal investigator (PI) on the NSF grant and Associate Professor of Psychology. "This award will allow to us to address barriers to workload equity in order to improve faculty work satisfaction and retention, while also contributing to a growing body of research on faculty equity in STEM."
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