Demonstrating a continued commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the University of Michigan Board of Regents voted July 18 to establish the University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorships.
The new designation will recognize senior faculty who have shown a commitment to the university’s ideals of DEI through their scholarship, teaching, or service and engagement.
“The breadth and depth of the university’s faculty and expertise has led to innovative, often interdisciplinary, research and teaching that explores and addresses questions related to DEI with our local communities, and extending beyond to global societies,” said Martin A. Philbert, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.
Similar to other U-M professorships, such as the Arthur F. Thurnau, Collegiate and Distinguished University professorships, the University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship will be reserved for only the highest level of achievement.
Nominations for the distinction will be made by the deans of U-M schools or colleges, and the finalists will be selected by a university committee and approved by the provost.
Recipients will hold their initial appointment for five years and receive an annual stipend of $20,000 to support their scholarly and professional work. They will also receive special faculty fellow status at the National Center for Institutional Diversity and spend at least one semester as a faculty fellow-in-residence.
As an NCID faculty fellow-in-residence, awardees will be required to share a set of goals related to their own scholarship, teaching, or service and engagement that they plan to accomplish during that term. They also will have access to NCID’s administrative infrastructure and other center resources to support their activities.
The announcement of the inaugural University Diversity and Social Transformation Professorship recipients will be made this fall.
