CRA-W announces the 2006/08 Cohort of Associate Professors Project (CAPP), sponsored by an ADVANCE grant from NSF. The goal of the project is to increase the percentage of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) women faculty with the rank of full professor by forming and mentoring a cohort of women from the associate professor ranks. This, the third instance of CAPP, has been expanded to include associate professors with education as their primary function. Thus, the 2006/08 CAPP has two tracks - one for women whose primary function is research (CAPP-R) and one for women whose primary function is education (CAPP-E).

As with previous years, the cornerstone of the CAPP will be the involvement of senior women, appointed as CRA-W Distinguished Professors, who will actively participate in as role models, mentors, and advisers to the cohort. The project will build a community of associate professors, providing them with mentoring, leadership training, encouragement, and ongoing peer-support activities. The project will include an initial Professional Development Workshop, a series of smaller meetings in conjunction with technical conferences/seminars, and ongoing electronically-based support activities.

The two-day intensive CAPP Professional Development Workshop for the 2006/07 was held October 20 and 21, 2006 at the Sanibel Harbor Resort and Spa, Fort Myers, Florida. Critical career information was discussed in a format that emphasizes role models, networking, peer community building, and developing professional and leadership skills. The workshops was highly interactive, including time for discussions and social interactions along with more formal presentations and panels.