UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Henry Luce Foundation has awarded Penn State a $700,000 grant through the Clare Boothe Luce (CBL) Program for Women in STEM to support the University’s Clare Boothe Luce Women in STEM (CBL WISe) Initiative. The five-year, institution-wide effort reflects a collaborative, intercollegiate partnership and will be co-led by Zoubeida Ounaies, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering, associate director of the Materials Research Institute and director of the Convergence Center for Living Multifunctional Material Systems (LiMC2); Wendy Hanna-Rose, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Eberly College of Science; Jes Matsick, associate professor of psychology and of women’s, gender and sexuality studies in the College of the Liberal Arts; and Tonya Peeples, the Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering.
Ounaies and Hanna-Rose will serve in a central leadership role advancing implementation across STEM units. The collaborative leadership structure was central to the success of the proposal and underscores Penn State’s commitment to advancing inclusive excellence across colleges and disciplines, Ounaies said.
According to the Luce Foundation, the initiative is designed to address persistent barriers that limit the advancement and full participation of women faculty in STEM by expanding definitions of academic excellence, strengthening inclusive leadership practices and supporting interdisciplinary scholarly success. Grant recipients are selected through a competitive review process conducted by the program’s selection committee.
“This Henry Luce Foundation award recognizes both the progress Penn State has made and the persistent barriers that remain for women in STEM,” Ounaies said. “Through the CBL WISe Initiative, we will reimagine how excellence is evaluated, strengthen inclusive leadership and build sustained support for women faculty, particularly those working in interdisciplinary spaces where contributions are often undervalued. This grant accelerates Penn State’s commitment to creating a lasting culture in which women in STEM not only succeed, but lead.”
Ounaies, Peeples, Hanna-Rose and Matsick shaped the proposal’s interdisciplinary framework by drawing on their expertise from the sciences, engineering and the social and behavioral sciences to ensure that the initiative addresses both structural systems and lived faculty experiences across colleges.
CBL WISe includes a coordinated set of interventions such as a faculty learning community, professional development, structured mentoring and data-driven evaluation reform. Projected outcomes include more equitable and transparent evaluation practices, stronger professional networks and leadership capacity, and long-lasting policy and cultural change embedded within Penn State’s STEM colleges.
“By reimagining our systems for evaluating interdisciplinary research, recognizing and rewarding high-impact scholarship, and preparing faculty for success with collaborative, interdisciplinary projects, CBL WISe will build momentum towards a major pillar of the Penn State strategic plan — to grow research excellence,” Hanna-Rose said. “The focus on long-term culture change, emphasizing and prioritizing transparency and belonging, is a much needed and necessary advance to ensure that all recruited faculty, and all their talent and creativity, can thrive and be retained.”
CBL WISe is seeking nominations, including self-nominations, for Clare Boothe Luce Professorships and related opportunities. All tenure-line faculty in the associated colleges are welcome to apply by April 10. For more information, contact Hanna-Rose at wxh21@psu.edu or Ounaies zxo100@psu.edu.