ADVANCE Project CREST

Note: Activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion are suspended as a result of executive orders. The pages that follow are historical documents for informational purposes only.  

We must do better to ensure an inclusive and equitable research community in higher education. Considering where power emerges and is realized means grappling with multiple dynamics in the academy that can impede the influence of our underserved, historically excluded, and marginalized community members. Though higher education is presumed to be the “great equalizer” (Chetty et al., 2017), diversity and equity within academic faculty ranks remains elusive (Stewart & Valian, 2018). Indeed, higher education remains a gendered and racialized organization (Britton, 2000, 2010; Miller & Roksa, 2019). This is why the ADVANCE Adaptation Program is so unique and imperative; the goal is not to just see what sticks in the kitchen sink of programs, but to purposefully adapt previously proven strategies.

Project CREST aims to transform UCCS through two primary initiatives by adapting practices from previous ADVANCE projects to: 

1.  Positively impact women’s research experiences and productivity 
2. Change the research policies and evaluation structures within the institution to more fully support women’s research participation, and 
3. Vigilantly mitigate biases within UCCS research spaces and research processes. Project CREST focuses on systemic reform efforts that will change the landscape of UCCS today and for the next generation of scholars.