ICELA, the International Center for Executive Leadership in Academics at Drexel University, exists to "increase the number and impact of women in academic leadership positions through two innovative programs: Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) and Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering (ELATE)." ELAM, begun in 1995, is a one-year leadership program to expand the national pool of women qualified for positions of leadership in academic medicine, dentistry, and public health. Now with over 700 graduates, the ELAM program has made significant progress, with alumnae serving in leadership positions from department chair to president at over 180 U.S. and Canadian academic health centers. Notably, 9 of the 23 women deans of U.S. medical schools are ELAM alumnae. Using the ELAM model, ICELA began a ELATE in 2012, focusing on leadership development for senior women faculty in engineering, computer science, and related fields. Funds from this grant support a thorough evaluation of the outcomes and impact (both individual and institutional) of the ELATE classes finishing in June 2013, 2014, and 2015. Besides analyzing the data from the pre- and post-program surveys, the deliverables of the new project will include: 1) a system by which the fellows' institutional action projects will be categorized and tracked to determine whether the original aims for impact have been met; 2) a nationwide survey facilitated by the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) of deans and provosts to ascertain views on the skills and practices necessary for effective leadership and mentoring; and 3) surveys of the deans who nominated the fellows to ascertain their views on the progress and outcomes of the program and to engage them about further development of institutional support for women leaders in CS&E.

Though studies indicate that pedagogy that incorporates "active learning" results in significantly higher student outcomes, the traditional "professors lecture, students listen" teaching format remains stubbornly predominant in STEM higher education. This grant funds a project by the Bay View Alliance (BVA), a consortium of seven large public flagship universities in the U.S. and Canada, to jointly study the features of institutional and faculty culture that inhibit the spread of new pedagogical techniques and approaches inside colleges and universities. The BVA will design, implement, and then evaluate a series of small interventions at member colleges aimed at increasing our understanding of how university administrators can best support improvements in student learning. Grant funds support the development of the administrative and organizational infrastructure necessary to manage the project; the creation of shared protocols for the conduct of research; the design, implementation and analysis of interventions; and the dissemination of results and findings.

Funds from this grant support a project by the Business-Higher Education Forum, an innovative regional partnership between industry and academia in the state of Maryland, to further develop and expand an undergraduate cybersecurity curriculum across the University of Maryland system that provides students with the skills and training sought by regional employers. A pioneering exercise in collaborative curriculum development, the project has the potential to serve as a model for how educators and private industry can effectively collaborate to maximize the value of university education for students. Funds from Sloan will support the creation of the USM Undergraduate Cybersecurity Network to coordinate curriculum, internships, advanced degrees, and job opportunities in the Washington, D.C.-Maryland region. Joint efforts will allow the collection and analysis of student academic performance, demographic, and employment data from all institutions with respect to initial enrollment, early stage persistence, transfer and articulation, declared majors, graduates, and number of job offers; data on number and involvement of industry professionals in curriculum development and internship responsibilities; and the use of the data to inform curriculum and pedagogy. It is expected that program capacity will be expanded so that 585 additional undergraduates enroll in cybersecurity programs by 2015 and 20 percent more bachelor's degrees are earned in cyber-related fields by 2018. In addition, the program will be designed with a focus on increasing the recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented minorities into the cybersecurity program.