Bringing the Men Back In: Catalyzing Gender Equality at Universities Through Advocates & Allies

Kristen Myers; Stephanie George; Allison S. Danell; Andrew T.  Morehead

doi:10.6092/issn.1971-8853/16914

Authors

Kristen Myers Department of Sociology, East Carolina University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3516-2929

Kristen Myers is a Professor of Sociology and, since 2019, Chair of the Department of Sociology at East Carolina University. She earned her PhD from North Carolina State University in 1996. She also served as Director of the Center for the Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality at Northern Illinois University, where she was sociology faculty from 1996-2019. Myers is an award-winning instructor. She leads interdisciplinary research teams. She is primarily a qualitative methodologist, studying intersectional inequalities in various social contexts including research on the ways that people reproduce racism in their everyday conversations; hyperheterosexuality among primary school children; factors that funnel students into the Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) pipeline; and expressions of masculinity among unemployed men. She is co-PI on a National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant at ECU (THRIVE@ECU), which is designed to increase equity for women faculty in STEM. Most recently, she is studying sexual consent practices among college students. She has a forthcoming book with Lexington Press.
Stephanie George Department of Engineering, East Carolina University https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7368-8915

Stephanie George is an Associate Professor of Engineering at East Carolina University (ECU). In 2008, she received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech and Emory University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia Tech prior to joining ECU in 2010. Dr. George’s research applies engineering frameworks to address cardiovascular problems with particular emphasis on computational modeling and image processing. She served as PI for three NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site awards and Co-PI for an NSF ADVANCE Adaptation award, and has been recognized for her achievements in integrating research, education and equity. She received ECU’s 2017 Scholar-Teacher Award and was selected to participate in the Diversity and Equity Leadership Program (ECU), BRIDGES Academic Leadership for Women (UNC System), and the BB&T Active Learning and Leadership Fellowship program (ECU).
Allison S. Danell Department of Chemistry, East Carolina University https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0242-7558

Allison S. Danell is a Professor of Chemistry and, since 2020, is also Dean of the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences at East Carolina University (ECU). She received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Rowland Institute at Harvard University in 2004, before joining ECU’s faculty that same year. Danell is an analytical chemist with expertise in gas phase ion chemistry and dissociation energetics, focused on using mass spectrometry to identify and characterize biomolecules (peptides, oligonucleotides, and fatty acids) and their complexes. She is an award-winning professor and advisor focused on student success through consistent classroom engagement, encouraging inquiry and curiosity, and facilitating research, internship, and other professional development activities. As Dean of the largest college on ECU’s campus, Danell is excited to support and promote the education, research, creativity, and workforce development opportunities afforded by the arts and sciences. She boldly acts to create partnerships with internal and external constituents to develop culturally aware communicators and skilled leaders to foster intellectual and economic success of the college, university, and region. Danell serves as a Principal Investigator for the NSF Advance THRIVE grant supporting this work.
Andrew T. Morehead Department of Chemistry, East Carolina University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7812-4773

Andrew T. Morehead Jr. is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at East Carolina University (ECU). He received his PhD in Chemistry from Duke University in 1996, and, following a two-year National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship at the California Institute of Technology, began his academic career at the University of Maryland-College Park. He moved to ECU in 2003, and has been Chair since 2015. His research interests revolve around asymmetric catalysis, particularly C-H activation, as applied to the synthesis of pharmacologically relevant building blocks. An award winning teacher and a former Chair of the Faculty at ECU, he is passionate about leadership development and mentoring. During his time as Chair, the department’s external research expenditures have increased over an order of magnitude and he has successfully guided three Assistant Professors and seven Associate Professors through the tenure/promotion process. He has served as Lead Advocate for the “Allies and Advocates” group at ECU since its inception.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1971-8853/16914

Keywords:

Women in STEM, Gender structure, Allyship, Structural change, Universities

Abstract

The United States’ National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE program awards funding to universities to improve gender equality in the faculty ranks in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Our team at East Carolina University is using our award to educate men in the university about implicit and explicit gender bias and how they can and should use their power to help disrupt these systems. The program, adapted from other universities with past NSF ADVANCE funding, is in its infancy at our university, but there are initial signs of progress. This essay analyzes early data, grounded in sociological theories of gender so as to understand and make progress on structural change in our academic institution. The timeline for action and initial outcomes, including three specific scenarios, are presented. A discussion regarding the impact of the program and how it can be expanded and strengthened is also presented. We reflect on gendered tensions, and explore the limitations of “bringing men in” to correct structural power imbalances that have disproportionately benefitted them.

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Bringing the Men Back In: Catalyzing Gender Equality at Universities Through Advocates & Allies

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