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���ϲ����� is entering the final push to achieve its ambitious goal of raising $1.5 billion as part of Forever Orange: The Campaign for ���ϲ�����. Today, the University officially launched the Forever Orange Faculty Excellence Program, an initiative focused on advancing academic excellence. The program, announced by Chancellor Kent Syverud during his annual Winter Message to the University Community, will generate the resources needed to recruit and retain diverse and talented faculty in a highly competitive academic landscape.

“We’re turning the focus toward building the resources that will further enable our faculty to succeed,” says Chancellor Syverud. “We will be working to raise funds that jump-start new faculty research and provide seed funding for promising ideas. We will also be building the resources we need to attract and retain faculty in a highly competitive world. Doing this right will assure that ���ϲ�����’s academic mission will persevere and succeed for generations ahead.”

The major objective of the Forever Orange Faculty Excellence Program is accelerating the creation of endowments for professorships, chairs and faculty support funds, all of which are critical to recruiting and sustaining a high achieving faculty.

“Through this initiative, the University will set aside endowment funds to leverage private philanthropic donations establishing permanent teaching and research positions,” says Senior Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer Matt Ter Molen. “The University will add financial support to funds contributed by donors to endowments that establish permanent teaching and research positions.”

“Academic leadership from across ���ϲ����� collaborated with the advancement team to create the Forever Orange Faculty Excellence Program,” says Gretchen Ritter, provost and chief academic officer. “We know that faculty scholarly and creative works, discovery and invention have the greatest potential to increase ���ϲ�����’s institutional prestige, rankings and competitiveness for grant funding. We are excited to launch this initiative, which will speed creation of prestigious professorships and chairs.”

The University will contribute between one quarter and one third of the funds required to create endowed chairs, professorships, faculty fellowships, visiting professorships and postdoctoral fellowships. The program will emphasize cluster hires, high-growth or priority disciplines. Endowments may also be supported when funds are contributed to name existing, unnamed chairs and professorships or faculty fellowships.

“This initiative is also critical to our success in retaining talented and productive faculty who are already contributing to academic excellence at ���ϲ�����. Endowed positions provide resources that enable deans to retain our world-class faculty, who are frequently approached by our peer institutions,” Ritter adds.

“We hear frequently from alumni that ���ϲ����� and its world-class faculty enabled their success. Creating an endowed position is a great way to establish a permanent legacy that recognizes the University’s impact on their lives,” adds Ter Molen.

Along with the Forever Orange Faculty Excellence Program, the University will be working to attract philanthropic support for funds to jumpstart new faculty research and provide seed funding for promising ideas.

The Forever Orange campaign launched in Nov. 2018 and has since raised $1.14 billion. The campaign is focused on advancing academic excellence at all levels, including providing opportunities for talented students to excel, supporting new ways to deliver the learning experience, attracting and retaining faculty who are engaged in interdisciplinary and meaningful research, and ensuring that the Orange promise to create a better world is accessible to all.