Home > Learn about the Initiative > Campaign Priority
Faculty Support: Sustaining World-Class Scholars and Teachers
The Chicago Initiative will enable the University to recruit and retain exceptional faculty through support for:
- Endowed chairs
- Competitive faculty salaries
- Facilities that foster innovation
A university is only as great as its faculty. Chicago is fortunate to be home to what is arguably the world’s most exceptional community of scholars and
teachers. These individuals find the University a stimulating and supportive setting in which to pursue their work: they are stimulated by Chicago’s longstanding and cherished tradition of collaboration across disciplinary boundaries, and supported by the institution’s faith in its faculty. The University never wavers in demonstrating this faith—by nurturing young faculty as they build their careers, by aggressively recruiting established scholars at the forefront of their fields, and by retaining academic leaders as they continue to create knowledge and to inspire students and colleagues. Support for faculty is an unparalleled investment in human capital at the University.
The most visible accomplishments of our faculty may be their research findings, which routinely generate headlines in the news and citations in scholarly publications, but excellence in research goes hand-in-hand with excellence in the classroom at a teaching university like Chicago. It is not at all unusual at Chicago to learn about a new technology from the person who invented it.
In their research, Chicago’s faculty are changing the way we think about the world. At the same time, as active teachers and mentors, they are modeling for new generations of intellectuals the rigorous yet creative habits of thought that have made them leaders in their fields.
Investing in Faculty
Supporting faculty and their work is of paramount importance to the University. Alumni and friends have already given $91.7 million for faculty support during the campaign, including 52 new endowed professorships. To remain competitive, however, the University needs to secure an additional $144 million in support of endowed professorships, salaries, and research costs. The University must also raise $180 million during the Chicago Initiative to fully fund twenty-first-century facilities such as the laboratories at the Center for Integrative Science.
One of the most valuable ways to invest in the people who pursue bold new ideas is to endow a faculty chair. A gift of $2 million to endow a chair not only provides salary and research funds in perpetuity, but also honors a faculty member’s achievement. By endowing chairs, alumni and friends help Chicago recognize and retain academic leaders and thus make a significant contribution to the creation of knowledge. Endowing a named chair is also a singular opportunity to keep a loved one’s memory alive in perpetuity.
