The RISE UPP PROMISE Academy Alliance
Broadening Participation in Faculty in the USM
- Retaining Talent
The RISE UPP PROMISE Academy Alliance, led by UMBC, is crafting a collaborative blueprint that empowers University System of Maryland (USM) institutions to retain talented faculty through postdoctoral conversion.
- Strengthening Institutional Infrastructure
Our alliance, supported by the NSF’s Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Initiative, is committed to strengthening institutional practices, policies and other structures, catalysing inter-institutional synergies, and disseminating resources and effective interventions.
- Fostering Collaborations
Because opportunities to connect are inherent in state university systems, our Alliance leverages existing collaborations and nurtures new connections across units and institutions specifically on postdoc and faculty affairs. We convene leaders committed to supporting postdocs and faculty and building inclusive climates that would support new scholars. We promote resource sharing, facilitating cross-institutional professional development, and discuss institutional and system-wide practices that can help us retain talent developed within USM.
OUR Model
Creating a State University System Approach for Retaining Talented and Diverse Faculty
- Addressing Stagnation in Faculty Demography
Despite decades of dedicated efforts, the demographic landscape of the professoriate has scarcely evolved. The representation of scholars from historically excluded populations within faculty positions is still far from ideal, challenging the academic community to question and address the stagnation. Traditional postdoctoral conversion strategies have demonstrated potential, yet their success stories are sporadic and confined, necessitating a more systemic, impactful approach (Culpepper et al., 2021).
- The NSF-Funded PROMISE Academy Alliance:
In 2018, the PROMISE Academy Alliance, backed by NSF, set out to develop a state system model for broadening participation in STEM faculty through postdoctoral retention and conversion. This initiative coordinates and scales inter-institutional postdoctoral recruitment, hiring, development, and conversion into tenure-track faculty roles, leveraging the existing relationships and structures of a state system.
- Hiring and Development Model:
Postdocs are hired by individual institutions but benefit from professional development and mentors across the system. The Alliance respects each institution’s autonomy and unique strengths, and it doesn’t impose a one-size-fits-all approach.
- Variation in Hiring and Funding Across Campuses:
Campuses participate variably, with some having centralized cross-disciplinary programs funded by Provosts’ Offices, like the Fellows for Faculty Diversity at UMBC or the FAMILE program at UMCP. Others conduct national searches for postdoctoral positions with a tenure-track conversion pathway, while some draw candidates from existing postdoctoral pools funded by faculty grants. The Alliance provides centralized resources, support, and networking.
- Mentorship and Professional Development:
All campuses contribute to the mentorship and professional development of Fellows, coordinated by the Alliance. Offerings include NIH & NSF grant writing workshops, leadership and mentorship training, instructional training, and insights into faculty life at different types of institutions.
- Building a Community Across the System:
The Alliance fosters a “university system as home” appeal, offering Fellows a community of peers and mentors across the system, rather than a siloed experience in one lab or research group.
- Invitation to Learn More:
For a detailed insight into our approach, we recommend our publication “Developing a State University System Model” (Cresiski, et al., 2022) and other team outputs. We also provide resources for institutional/system adoption, including expectations for Fellows, skills assessment, a template for an IDP, and sample conversion processes.
- RISE UPP - Scaling Up PROMISE Academy Alliance:
Recognizing our successes, we were awarded a $10M Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES grant in 2022 to expand our Alliance into RISE UPP: Re-Imagining STEM Equity Utilizing Postdoc Pathways. Learn more at www.riseupp.org.
Our Initiatives
Facilitating Transformation
Our model hinges on nurturing intentional change at multiple levels, from the individual scholar to their immediate departmental environment, the institutions in which they work, and the state-wide system in which institutions operate together.
Only through having initiatives at all of these levels will we create sustainable change that improves the recruitment and retention of faculty and creates an academy that reflects the broad talent of our great nation.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Leverage the expertise, resources, and mentors across institutions within the University System of Maryland to help postdoctoral fellows better prepare to convert to/obtain tenure track faculty positions.
System Innovation
Amplify the impact of Alliance activities at the system level through a shared repository of tools, a directory of minoritized scholars, state-wide development opportunities and engagement with University of Maryland System Office strategic planning.
Departmental Climate
Creating guidance, tools, resources and professional development to assess and improve departmental climates that are more inclusive and successful at recruiting and retaining faculty.
Institutional Change
Advocate for supportive policies and practices by engaging with policy makers and institutional leaders. Share and adopt successful models of postdoctoral conversion, faculty mentoring, faculty recruitment, promotion and tenure, etc. to enhance the recruitment and retention of postdocs into faculty.
OUR IMPACT
Improving Academic Research Through Retaining Talent and Broadening Participation
RISE UPP is pioneering a progressive shift in state university systems by fostering a diverse and inclusive academic community. Our accomplishments are a testament to the transformative power of collective endeavor.
Increasing “Systemness”
We have created teams of leaders working across institutions toward the goal of greater faculty diversity in an unprecedented way. We are building shared resources, tools, directories and infrastructure to support institutional and collaborative efforts.
Inspiring Institutional Change
With enhanced communication across institutions, campuses are learning from each other about what works, and thus are better equipped to adapt and innovate new programs, initiatives, policies and practices that enhance the lives of faculty from all backgrounds, experiences and research frameworks.
Improving Postdoc Experiences
By providing PROMISE Academy fellows with a peer community and mentors across institutions, as well as professional development opportunities across institutions, we are ensuring Fellows have access to all of what the University System has to offer, helping them feel less siloed and more supported.
Broadening Participation in Faculty
We have established or expanded postdoctoral conversion opportunities and/or incentives at all participating campuses. Of the 18 fellows onboarded between 2018-2023, 15 are now tenure track faculty, an 83% conversion rate that is significantly above the national average of 17% of postdocs obtaining tenure track positions. (Andalib et al., 2018)
INSTITUTIONAL BENEFITS OF PROMISE ACADEMY ALLIANCE
Campus Advancements Through Collective Engagement
The RISE UPP PROMISE Academy fosters a collaborative model that bolsters institutions within the University System of Maryland in advancing faculty diversity through postdoctoral support and conversion. Institutions have benefited directly from participation in the following ways:
- Facilitated Pathways to Faculty
The alliance has helped institutions adopt more structured pathways for transitioning postdoctoral scholars to tenure-track faculty positions, particularly enhancing diversity. While each campus has their own strategy, many institutions have adapted programs and approaches through learning of the success of others. All five campuses in the original alliance now have some mechanism for postdoctoral conversion whether through a centralized program, a departmental search, or a search waiver process.
- Resource Development & Sharing
By being a part of the alliance, institutions work together on creating new resources and sharing existing resources. This includes sharing policy/offer letter language, skills assessments, conversion approaches, mentor training, postdoctoral survey instruments, a directory of postdocs from minoritized backgrounds, and summaries of faculty hiring research from our social science research team. We create a community where best practices, resources, and enriching experiences are exchanged, fostering a conducive environment for growth and learning institutionally and as a system.
- Enhanced Recruitment & Synergistic Research
The Alliance provides a platform for forging invaluable connections between PROMISE Academy Fellows and institutions within the Alliance. Fellows visit campuses in person, allowing greater exposure of Fellows to different types of institutional employers and also exposing departments to incredible talent within our system. Fellows also are assigned mentors throughout the system, which aid the Fellow but also contribute to new research collaborations benefitting our faculty and students. PROMISE Academy leadership and research teams also collaborate on meaningful research projects, authoring joint publications and submitting grant applications.
- More Inclusive Environments
Institutions have been adjusting policies, such as Promotion and Tenure policies, to be more inclusive and recognize the value of various activities beyond research as critical to university success, including student mentoring and support efforts. The PROMISE Academy has also developed departmental readiness assessments and resources to aid departments in understanding and improving their “readiness” to recruit and retain scholars from backgrounds unlike the majority of other faculty.
- Multi-level Support
The PROMISE Academy provides support for Institutional Leaders (provosts & deans), faculty leaders and chairs, postdoctoral mentors and the postdocs themselves. Support includes convening groups as well as one-on-one supports to build community across institutions toward the common goal of a more inclusive academia.
RESOURCES FOR INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
Empowering Progress Through Shared Tools and Knowledge
The RISE UPP PROMISE Academy extends a rich reservoir of resources designed to empower institutional partners in navigating the path towards enhanced faculty diversity and institutional excellence. Here’s a glimpse into the comprehensive resources available to our partners:
RISE UPP Webinar Series
Engage with experts on key topics surrounding faculty diversification and institutional excellence through our webinar series.
Implementation Guide
A step-by-step guide to adopting the state-system model at your institution, encapsulating best practices.
Faculty Hiring Toolkit
Resources and templates aiding in the robust and inclusive recruitment and selection of postdoctoral fellows.
Professional Development Programs
Programs aimed at enhancing skills and competencies, preparing postdoctoral fellows for tenure-track positions.
Networking Events
Invitations to events fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and community building among peers.
Research and Publications
Stay updated with the latest research findings, publications, and best practices emerging from the Alliance.
Join The Movement: GET INVOLVED
Make an Impact with RISE UPP
Your institution can play a pivotal role in reshaping the academic landscape by becoming a part of the RISE UPP PROMISE Academy Alliance. Here’s how you can get involved:
Partner With Us
Extend your institution's commitment to diversity by becoming a partner, and together, let's make a substantial difference.
Research Collaborations
Dive into collaborative research projects to unearth and tackle systemic barriers hindering diversity in academia.
Engage in Events
Attend our enriching events—workshops, conferences, and webinars—to exchange knowledge and enhance institutional capacities.
Share Your Insights
Contribute your expertise and share innovative strategies to foster a more inclusive academic environment.
