On-ramping to academia: Women's experiences of transitioning from nonaca-demic to academic careers

In 2008, the University of Washington's ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change received a National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE Partnerships for Adaptation, Innovation, and Dissemination grant called "On-Ramps into Academia." (http://www.engr.washington.edu/onramp/) The goal of On-Ramps into Academia was to increase the pool of women faculty available to all universities by providing professional development to PhD-level women in industry or research laboratories who wished to transition into faculty positions. Unlike the more traditional strategy of institutions recruiting female faculty from other universities to increase the number of female faculty in science and engineering departments, this strategy increases the number of female faculty nationally. On-Ramps is a new approach to faculty recruitment. PhDs in science and engineering can leverage their nonacademic skills and experiences into successful careers as faculty members. Interviews with On-Ramps into Academia workshop participants revealed three core barriers that can influence the viability of transitioning to academia, particularly for women. We also discovered that the new career also has major rewards for those who make the transition. We next describe the On-Ramps workshops and discuss the challenges and benefits of on-ramping.