The Research Network is intended to provide faculty with informal connections to other faculty members to support their research activities within the framework of an ethos of care. 

The goal of the Research Network is to create a formal research network where faculty can seek out help and learn from peers and senior faculty about advancing their career, their research agendas, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Research has shown that access to formal and informal socialization as well as networking aides in a majority of faculty’s career progression.1-3 Given that these activities have been shown to advance faculty careers, the Project CREST team is dedicated to providing a space where this networking and socialization can happen, particularly for historically-excluded and under-represented groups in STEM and SBS.

1. Muhs, G. G. y, Niemann, Y. F., González, C. G., & Harris, A. P. (Eds.). (2012). Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia (1 edition). Utah State University Press.

2. Skewes, M. C., Shanahan, E. A., Smith, J. L., Honea, J. C., Belou, R., Rushing, S., Intemann, K., & Handley, I. M. (2018). Absent Autonomy: Relational Competence and Gendered Paths to Faculty Self-Determination in the Promotion and Tenure Process. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 11(3), 366–383.

3. Griffin, K., Bennett, J., & York, T. (2020, June 24). Leveraging Promising Practices: Improving the Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention of Diverse & Inclusive Faculty.

CREST Belayers is UCCS's research network, where faculty can meet others who might share similar research interests, be at the same career stage, or are interested in further developing peer or collaborative relationships.

In rock-climbing, a belayer holds the rope of the climber and acts as a counter-balance if they fall. We chose to name our group the Belayers to illustrate that this is a strong network of people who will support one another as we make our way to the top!

To start, we will have monthly events dedicated to discussing topics to help our members learn and grow such as Tips for Full Professor Dossiers, No Imposters here: Navigating the Gendered Norms of Self-Promotion (read more about why we need to Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome), building equitable and inclusive research spaces, and more.

We hope to add more events and topics as our network grows. If you're interested in joining the CREST Belayers, please send an email to advance@uccs.edu!

If you'd like access to our repository of full professor dossiers, please send a request email to Kelly McNear at kmcnear@uccs.edu.