Participants in the ADVANCE Midwest Partnership project convened at Iowa State University on March 2, 2020 to review the progress made since the start of the project on October 1, 2019, and to plan the way forward.

The meeting started with a review of the long-term goals of the project, and an overview of the history, administrative structure, and policies relevant for the project goals currently in place at the partner institutions. Project teams met during concurrent sessions in the morning and afternoon to lay out the implementation plan and timeline. This includes the launch of the Advocates & Allies program at ISU in fall 2020, the piloting of the CIMCs in spring 2020 with a larger group starting in fall 2020. Review of materials used for the department chairs professional development program at ISU, and planning for implementation at NDSU, MTU, and WMU took place in the afternoon. A team discussed the Integrated Equity Support plan and the women caucus activities in place at the College of Arts and Sciences at WMU for several years.

The final session engaged the 16 participants into a discussion on the Integrated Equity Support and dissemination plans to other midwestern institutions.