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Increased funds to enhance faculty diversity

Starting in the 2016-17 academic year, funding allocated to build and retain a diverse and inclusive faculty across the three UW campuses will be increased to $1 million.

President Cauce and Interim Provost Baldasty are allocating the funds for the Office for Faculty Advancement to work collaboratively with deans, chancellors and department chairs or directors, with half going toward faculty recruitment and half going toward retention.

These funds will assist the implementation of faculty recruitment and retention goals established in the University-wide Diversity Blueprint; support changes to the Faculty Code that recognize excellence in faculty research, teaching and service that promotes diversity and equal opportunity; and help realize the key priorities of the Race & Equity Initiative.

The Faculty Recruitment Initiative will make $500,000 available to contribute to the recruitment of faculty whose research, teaching, mentoring, service and/or outreach interests expand or enrich traditional disciplinary boundaries. In some disciplines the emphasis may be on historically underrepresented and/or underserved communities, while in others it may be on broadening methodological approaches to address questions of special relevance to communities that have been understudied or underserved.

Meanwhile, the Faculty Retention Initiative will make $500,000 available to contribute to the efforts of a college, school or campus to retain talented faculty whose research, teaching, mentoring, service and/or outreach interests promote the University’s goals of diversity, inclusion, equity and equal opportunity.

It is the administration’s goal that the available funds will be increased beyond the $1 million total, including by establishing these efforts as fundraising priorities for the UW’s comprehensive campaign. In both instances it is important to note that, consistent with state law, the focus of diversity, equity and inclusion is not on the demographic background of faculty candidates but on the intellectual direction of their work and that work’s proven or potential impact.

Additional details on criteria and how deans, chancellors and departmental chairs or directors can access these funds will be provided by OFA this summer.