Standard Search Request for Proposals

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Faculty Advancement's Faculty Recruitment Programs

The request for proposals may be found below. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Introduction

The Office of the Provost is pleased to provide this announcement of funding support for faculty recruitments from groups underrepresented in the professoriate. This program is designed to support Schools’ diversity plans, and to assist the University in meeting placement goals established in its affirmative action programs, by advancing the recruitment of outstanding scholars from historically underrepresented groups in disciplines where their availability exceeds their representation on our faculty. Our goal is that the composition of our tenured and tenure-track faculty more closely reflects the national pool of qualified candidates. Please note that the program is not intended to increase the size of the faculty above the current plans of your School. Rather, the goal is to accelerate the recruitment of faculty from underrepresented groups.

Support for the Recruitment of Faculty Identified Through Standard Searches

Schools may request funding support to assist in the recruitment of candidates identified through standard searches from groups whose availability exceeds their representation on the faculty. The level of support will be predicated on the assumption that, since there was a Standard Search and Evaluation process, this was a planned recruitment for which the Department/School had funds already budgeted. Schools may request modest supplemental funds from the Office of the Provost to make a more competitive offer. 

Eligibility

The Office of the Provost will consider providing support for such candidates who are identified as top candidates for full-time, tenured and tenure-track faculty positions. Candidates must belong to a group that is eligible for funding support.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted by the appropriate Dean and, if applicable, the Department Chair. Please note that applications for funding support must be submitted and reviewed before an offer has been made to the candidate.

Given the limited amount of Office of the Provost funding, Schools are strongly encouraged to develop a process for determining which funding requests will be prioritized and put forward. Departments requesting support should coordinate closely with their Deans. Funding requests must be submitted with the support and sign-off by the School’s Dean. Please note that applications for funding support must be submitted and reviewed before an offer has been made to the candidate.

If your primary appointment is at CUIMC, please direct your inquiries to Mandy Lin at [email protected].

Scope of Commitments and Budget

The maximum terms of support from the Office of the Provost:

  • Lab-based faculty: The lesser of up to $75,000/year/3 years (total of $225,000) or 20% of offer/year/3 years for a successful application.
  • Non lab-based faculty: The lesser of up to $37,500/year/3 years (total of $112,500) or 20% of offer/year/3 years for a successful application.

NOTE: Funds from the Office of the Provost cannot be used for capital expenditures.

Commitment of Schools and Departments

  • The remainder of costs not provided by the Office of the Provost.
  • After three years, 100% of the costs will be borne by the School/Department with the funds coming from faculty retirements or departures, or the planned growth of faculty. 
  • Funds will be dispensed in annual payments over three years. No lump sum payments will be made.

Funding Application Requirements

The Office of the Provost will only consider providing support for candidates being recruited as full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty members. Please note that current postdocs at Columbia are eligible under this RFP. 

How to Apply

Components of a Complete Application

  • Department/School details and all necessary signatures
  • Proposal (up to 5 pages) from the Dean (and Department Chair, if applicable) that includes the following sections.  Please denote each section with a separate header. 

    • Qualifications, accomplishments, future promise of the candidate, and whether the candidate would be recruited to a tenured or tenure-track position

    • Candidate’s potential to contribute to the diversity goals of the Department/School

    • The potential of the recruitment to cause the composition of the Department/School to more closely reflect the national pool of qualified candidates

    • Process by which the candidate will be selected

    • Mentoring and support efforts the hiring unit will undertake to support the professional career development of the candidate. In the case of senior candidates, provide a statement of the steps that will be taken to facilitate a successful transition into the hiring unit.

  • Statement of overall progress that the School has made in achieving its diversity goals and how this application will advance the School’s plan
  • Budget projection and narrative. We recognize that the proposed budget is based on your estimate of what it will cost to recruit a candidate. The actual budget, and the actual Provost’s award, will be based on the accepted offer letter. 
  • Candidate's curriculum vitae

Submission Details

The entire application must be submitted via the online submission form. If you need to share the application-in-progress with others in your academic unit, please follow these steps:

  1. Open the application
  2. Click "Save" at the bottom of the page
  3. Select "Get sharable link"
  4. Paste and email the link to yourself and the corresponding colleague(s)

Review Process and Selection Criteria

Requests for support will be accepted and considered on a rolling basis. A committee appointed by the Provost will review the applications and will make recommendations to the Provost. Hiring units should expect a turn-around time of approximately 1 week. 

The School’s progress in achieving its three-year diversity objectives is an important element in evaluating applications. Attention will be given to supporting Schools/Departments where the need to enhance diversity is most acute. Priority consideration will be given to Schools/Departments that utilize a cluster hiring mechanism to notably contribute to the diversity goals of the School. Requests will be judged according to the following criteria:

  • The scholarly excellence of the candidate
  • The candidate’s potential to contribute to the diversity goals of the Department/School
  • The potential of the recruitment to cause the composition of the Department/School to more closely reflect the national pool of qualified candidates
  • The mentoring and support efforts the hiring unit will undertake to support the professional career development of the candidate. In the case of senior candidates, the steps that will be taken to facilitate a successful transition into the hiring unit.

The Office of the Provost will work closely with Schools/Departments to support successful recruitments. The Office of the Provost and the School/Department approved for funding support will identify a mutually agreeable time by which a letter of acceptance will be received from the candidate. If an acceptance letter is not received by that time, the Office of the Provost commitment will be re-evaluated.

Contact

If you have any questions during the submission process, please contact our office at [email protected].