President's Initiative for Diversity Excellence & Advancement (IDEA) Program
Goal: To increase the recruitment and retention of diverse tenure-system faculty (at the ranks of assistant, associate, and full professor) at the University of Illinois.
UA funding: Recurring funding of $1.0M is available, effective FY 2013. Additional funding may be available in the second and third program years, conditional on the program’s effectiveness and the availability of State funds. The IDEA program will be evaluated at the end of the third year, at which point a decision will be made on its continuation.
Support of faculty appointees: 50% academic-year salary up to $75K per year (i.e., maximum salary of $150,000), for a six-year term, which is renewable once provided that the appointment continues to advance the diversity and excellence goals of the University and is otherwise deemed appropriate by the University in its sole discretion. Salary support from the IDEA program will be adjusted in the event the faculty appointee is also awarded salary support under the TOP at UIUC1 or the UFRP at UIC2 In the event the faculty appointee leaves the tenure-track system prior to the end of a six-year term, funds will be returned to the IDEA pool to support the recruitment of future faculty members.
Eligibility: Faculty candidates from underrepresented groups to whom a tenure-system position has been offered. While IDEA aims for a broad definition of diversity, in the first phase it focuses in areas where progress is critically needed, as described in the VPAA’s Assistance in Recruiting Underrepresented Minority Faculty program.
Criteria: Nominations should include detailed information on the credentials of the candidate as a tenure-track professor at the University of Illinois (at the ranks of assistant, associate, or full professor) plus descriptions of the unique and ongoing contributions the candidate is expected to make to the campus unit seeking support and of how the individual will advance both diversity and scholarship at the University.
Continuing assessment and funding: In order to assess the outcome of the program and determine future funding allocations, each participating campus will be asked to submit a brief annual report at the end of each academic year, describing progress in faculty diversity and impact of IDEA funding.
Nomination and decision process: Nominations for faculty appointments effective FY 2013 and later may be submitted at any time by the campus Provosts to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Decisions will be made on a first-come first-serve basis. Each nomination will be assessed by the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs on individual merit.
1Per the terms of the two programs, IDEA funding ≤ TOP funding, therefore salary support provided by UA will equal half that provided by campus.
2Per the terms of the two programs, IDEA funding > UFRP funding, therefore salary support provided by UA will be reduced by half of that provided by campus.
Questions
Please direct all questions to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs at (217) 333-3077.
April 5, 2012