Adding 25 Endowed Chairs and Faculty Investments

Dear colleagues,

Today, with Chancellor Zeppos’ support and vision, it is with great excitement that we announce the creation of 25 newly endowed Cornelius Vanderbilt chairs! These endowed chairs are being established to support strategic increases in our faculty that will allow us to continue moving the university forward as we launch key initiatives and Immersion Vanderbilt. In sum, the 25 new endowed chairs will fuel discovery and learning. I will work directly with the deans on making strategic appointments to the new chairs over the upcoming months.

A strategic expansion of the faculty to support additional research and teaching is required to advance the Academic Strategic plan, including Immersion Vanderbilt, which is an initiative of the faculty–driven 2013-14 plan and is currently being developed with input from faculty and staff from all corners of campus. I look forward to providing you a more detailed update on the program’s development in future newsletters.

Not only are we creating new endowed chairs, the highest honor Vanderbilt can give, we are also opening submissions to a number of our programs that offer internal funding to support discovery and learning. Below is more information on those programs as well as other resources available to support faculty:

• The new Faculty Development and Diversity Website – A new one-stop-shop to direct faculty to funding opportunities, faculty awards and numerous professional development tools and trainings. The site also features initiatives and faculty data, and showcases new Vanderbilt faculty.
• Provost Research Studios – A new program to advance mentoring by having faculty invite senior scholars to campus for advice and timely input on research, scholarship and networking.
• Chancellor Faculty Fellows – Funding and professional development program open to newly tenured faculty. Fellows are nominated by deans.
• Trans-Institutional Programs (TIPs)– Open to both VU and VUMC-employed faculty members involved in existing or emerging trans-institutional centers, programs and institutes.
• University Courses (UC) – Course funding program open to both VU and VUMC-employed faculty for new trans-institutional courses taught in schools and colleges reporting to the Provost.
• Discovery Grants (DG) – Open to VU-employed faculty to fund research projects that advance core disciplines and/or position faculty for external grants or awards.
• Research Scholar Grants (RSG) – Funding for VU-employed faculty focused on innovative scholarship and creative expression projects that are unlikely to have extramural funding options available.

Application dates for TIPs, UC, DG and RSG programs are now posted. A new online application submission and review portal called InfoReady will be used to streamline the process for faculty, reviewers and administrators. For full eligibility guidelines visit the Provost site or email OCCI@Vanderbilt.edu with questions.

For those familiar with the International Research Scholar Grants and other international funding programs, these are on hiatus this year as the International Study Working Group conducts their assessment and makes recommendations for a global research/scholarship strategy. As has always been true, internationally focused efforts will be considered through TIPs, DGs, RSGs and University Courses as appropriate.

This month, I also launched two working groups related to the recently conducted COACHE faculty satisfaction survey – a faculty working group and a deans’ working group. Notably, the survey was inclusive of all full time faculty reporting to the Provost – both non-tenured and tenured/tenure track. The faculty working group will issue an assessment that will form the basis for further enhancing support for faculty research, teaching, and service; as well as strategies to ensure Vanderbilt provides a welcoming, equitable, and inclusive climate for all.

This is an exciting time for all – junior faculty, senior lecturers, professors of the practice, and tenured faculty – with all the investments being made in ensuring excellence. I encourage you to visit the new Faculty Development and Diversity Website to review opportunities and take advantage.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Wente

Other News

SkyVU steering committee provides update on initiative to upgrade, improve university systems

Vanderbilt to host annual Residential College Symposium

New, common office for postdoctoral affairs opens

Two working groups appointed to analyze new faculty survey data

Basic science, extraordinary impact

Expanding the Landscape: Graduate School refocuses on inclusion, more holistic approach

Previous Open Dore Issues

In case you missed it….

A uniquely Vanderbilt budget model – September 2016

Welcome Back! – August 2016

A Semester of Change – May 2016

Mental Health Awareness: A Role for All – April 2016

Reflections on our Graduate and Professional Student Community – March 2016

The True Value of Creativity and the Liberal Arts – February 2016

New Year, New Hires, New Perspectives – January 2016

All past issues