Chancellor Faculty Fellows

Vanderbilt University is committed to supporting and retaining outstanding faculty who have recently received tenure. The granting of tenure indicates the university’s long-term commitment to these individuals. In many ways, these scholars represent the future of our institution. They offer energy and innovation for new basic discoveries, path-breaking scholarship, and creative expression. As these faculty assume more senior status, it is important that Vanderbilt renew its commitment to them so as to ensure continued success in their careers that will lead to even greater national and international visibility. By investing in a select group of younger scholars from across the campus, we will not only advance their careers at a critical time, but we will also provide a forum for them to share their academic interests with others on campus that build and enrich our One Vanderbilt community.

Program

The Office of the Provost will award select tenured associate professors (or of the equivalent rank in the Law School) the title of Chancellor Faculty Fellow. The designation will include funding of $40K a year for two fiscal years. Other resources available to the Fellow will remain in place and be budgeted separately. The funds are designed to support the professional development of the awardee. Each college will provide its own guidelines on what is and is not appropriate uses of this funding. There is one prohibition: these funds cannot be used to supplement existing contracted salary. If a college allows faculty to use this money for course buyouts, there is a cap for the amount that can be charged. That cap will be negotiated each year between each dean and the provost’s office prior to the awarding of Chancellor Faculty Fellows. If promotion to full professor occurs during the fellowship, the award will continue for its approved period. However, if an endowed chair or professorship is awarded to the Fellow that contains funds for research, that chair will replace the support provided through Chancellor Faculty Fellows Program. Candidates may be re-nominated for a second award period on a competitive basis and with a new nomination package.

As part of this award, the Chancellor Faculty Fellows will have the opportunity to meet regularly to exchange ideas, consider career and leadership development strategies, and foster trans-institutional collaboration.  Chancellor Faculty Fellows will be invited to attend various academic leadership events throughout the year.

Eligibility

All faculty promoted to Associate Professor (tenured) within the past five years (or have their tenure effective at the start of the upcoming academic year) in all the schools/colleges (or the equivalent rank in the Law School), who do not hold an endowed chair or professorship, and who devote the majority of their effort to excellence in fundamental research, scholarship, and/or creative work are eligible for nomination.

Preference will be given to faculty who have not had an infusion of research funding through being recently hired or having been recently retained.

Process

Only deans  or dean’s designees can nominate candidates for consideration by the provost and chancellor. Candidates may not nominate themselves  A faculty committee  co-chaired by Tracey George, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, and Jennifer Pietenpol, Chief Scientific and Strategy Officer, VUMC, will review all nominations and make recommendations to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Final selection will be confirmed by the Chancellor.

Nominations must be submitted via InfoReady by Friday, March 3, 2023. Questions about the Chancellor Faculty Fellows program, including the nomination process, may be directed to Tracey George,  (tracey.george@vanderbilt.edu), or Jennifer Pietenpol,  (j.pietenpol@vumc.org).

Questions? Please contact the Office of Faculty Development at facultydevelopment@vanderbilt.edu .