Dear colleagues:
We are pleased to announce that funding has been doubled for an important, system-wide initiative that seeks to increase the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty from underrepresented minorities.
The Assistance in Recruiting Underrepresented Minority Faculty Program will now provide up to $60,000 over three years to enhance efforts to attract qualified candidates, effective August 15, 2021. The program, funded by the universities and the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), traditionally has provided $30,000 ($10,000 per year) to support research, equipment, travel, and other nonrecurring costs. Working with the three universities, we have agreed it is time to increase the funding. The VPAA Office will now provide $20,000 the first year, and the universities will also double their contributions to $20,000 for both year two and year three.
For more information about the program, see:
https://www.vpaa.uillinois.edu/academic_affairs_programs/underrepresented_faculty_recruitment
Continuing to build on faculty diversity is more crucial than ever as we work toward enhancing excellence and equity across higher education. This increased funding support will assist our universities in a highly competitive marketplace and continue our efforts to achieve faculty and enrollment diversity that matches the rich culture of our state.
We wish you all the very best in your recruiting efforts in 2021-22, and hope these new dollars help achieve the goals we all share.
Sincerely,
Barbara J. Wilson
Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Robert Barish
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, UIC
Andreas Cangellaris
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, UIUC
Dennis Papini
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, UIS
Susan Poser
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, UIC
