Endowed Chairs, Professorships, and Fellowships
Endowed chairs, professorships, and fellowships are established by a donor who provides an endowment to support the salary and/or operating funds of the professor. Funding levels determine whether the endowed position is a chair, professorship, or fellowship.
Such an appointment may continue through the active career of the professor at the university, unless it is relinquished in favor of some other honored or administrative appointment or unless the appointment has specific term limitations, which may be renewable.
Nomination Process
Each college has formal procedures for the nomination and appointment to endowed chairs, professorships, and fellowships, which include review by a college honorifics committee or promotion and tenure committee. The Faculty Honorifics Committee reviews extra-collegiate nominations to endowed chairs, professorships, and fellowships.
After review by the appropriate college committee, recommendations are then made by the college dean and sent to the provost’s office for review and approval. Materials sent to the provost’s office should include:
- a draft resolution
- a letter confirming the review of and support for the nomination by the college honorifics committee and dean.
Once approved by the provost, nominations for initial appointments will be brought to the Board of Visitors for their consideration. Reappointments to endowed positions require approval by the provost and president, but do not require approval by the Board of Visitors, although the BOV does receive a report of reappointments at each of their meetings.
Once approved by the Board of Visitors, the faculty member will receive a confirmation letter. Faculty reappointed to endowed positions will receive a confirmation letter after their reappointment has been reported to the Board of Visitors.
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Email Rachel Gabriele