EVALUATION CORE – Project Summary The evaluation of the San Diego State University Faculty Unified towards Excellence in Research and Transformational Engagement (SDSU FUERTE) program will test the primary hypothesis that a cohort and cluster design model of faculty hiring, sponsorship, continual mentoring, and professional development, embedded within an institution implementing evidence-based practices will create an academic culture of inclusive excellence. In order to deliver on its promises, SDSU FUERTE requires a robust and rigorous evaluation plan. To this end, the overall goals of the SDSU FUERTE Evaluation Core (EC) are twofold. First, the EC will conduct a rigorous, comprehensive evaluation of the impact of SDSU FUERTE on producing changes over time in SDSU faculty success (e.g., faculty advancement, peer-reviewed publications, and grants) and the campus DEI climate. This will include baseline and follow-up assessments of the campus climate before and after the SDSU FUERTE Faculty Cohort are brought to SDSU. Second, the EC will be primarily responsible for communicating with the FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC), and with providing ongoing, evidence-based recommendations to the AC, FDC, Internal Advisory Board (IAB), and External Advisory Board (EAB) for continuous improvement and refinement of SDSU FUERTE activities. In order to achieve robust and rigorous evaluation of SDSU FUERTE, the overall design of the evaluation plan includes multiple data sources that will be triangulated using mixed methods analysis and repeated measurements over time. The evaluation plan will also include process- and outcome-oriented analysis of data collected from multiple levels – SDSU FUERTE Faculty Cohort, other SDSU faculty, departments/schools, and the overall institution. By focusing on multiple levels and on changes over time, the evaluation plan is comprehensive and will provide valuable data to inform the broad-reaching and sustainable impact of SDSU FUERTE on faculty success outcomes and the DEI climate. The specific aims of the EC are to: 1) Evaluate the impact of SDSU FUERTE at the individual (i.e., faculty), department/school, and institution (SDSU) levels on faculty success (e.g., advancement, research productivity) and the DEI climate within departments/schools and across SDSU using multiple data sources and mixed methods; 2) Test hypothesized mechanisms of change (e.g., less perceived isolation, increased collaboration/team science) over time that explain how SDSU FUERTE leads to improvements in faculty success outcomes and an institutionalized academic culture of DEI excellence at SDSU; and 3) Implement ongoing feedback loops with FUERTE stakeholders (AC, FDC, IAB, EAB) and the FIRST CEC to facilitate data-driven solutions for continued improvement of the program. To meet these aims, specific data sources will include longitudinal quantitative survey data (every 12-months from baseline to 48 months) with faculty members at SDSU...