Faculty Diversity Incentive

Policies and Procedures - Faculty Diversity Incentive
Faculty Diversity Incentive
(Last Updated 02/16/2007)

Goal: To provide incentives to departments and programs which hire and retain faculty of racial and ethnic backgrounds under-represented in Medicine.

Races and ethnicities under-represented in medicine will be defined in accordance with the AAMC criteria as modified by the WUSM Faculty Diversity Committee (FDC) - see full Faculty Diversity Subcommittee Plan dated October 31, 2005.

When departments or programs are recruiting faculty who may be appropriate candidates for this program, they will contact the Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA) early in the recruitment process. The OFA will provide an application packet to be completed and returned. The Dean and the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, with input from the Faculty Diversity Committee (FDC), will then determine the eligibility for these faculty members under recruitment to become Diversity Scholars and thus eligible for this funding mechanism. It is expected that members of the FDC will be actively participating in the recruitment process for each of these candidates.

Note: No disbursement of these funds will occur if School of Medicine Administration and the FDC have not approved eligibility for said faculty members.

Key Components of the Proposal:
The Dean will contribute $150,000.00 in the first year (FY2007) from the Central Administration budget. Departments and major programs will be assessed to generate an additional $150,000.00 in the first year based upon faculty compensation in each department or program. The Dean's and departmental / programmatic contributions will increase in years 2 and 3 of the program in order to support two new recruits each year until the program reaches steady-state in year 3. Individual salary support will represent 25% of salary to a maximum of $50,000.00 / year for three years. Startup costs to be contributed will be 25% of the total start-up package to a maximum of $100,000.00 per candidate. Any unused funds at the end of the fiscal year would roll over to be available for the next year. The funds should support the target goal of two minority faculty recruits / year. If more than two minority faculty meeting eligibility criteria are recruited, the Dean will offer additional funds as available. The program will be evaluated for effectiveness by the FDC, Academic Affairs Committee and Administration and Finance Committee at the end of three years after implementation (FY2010) and every three years thereafter.

The Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs will convey the approved package to the Assistant Dean for Finance. The Office of Resource Planning and Analysis (RP&A) will be responsible for transferring the funds to the department and tracking the status of all packages awarded under this initiative.

Distributions will be made in accordance with the three-year funding commitment per the approved package with no adjustments for subsequent changes to the recruit's salary or startup costs. The first transfer will made to the department on or near the new recruit's hire date. The first year's funding will be prorated if the hire date falls in the middle of the fiscal year, with the balance transferred in the fourth year. (For example, if the new recruit starts in July, the entire first year's funding will be distributed in that fiscal year. If the new recruit starts in November, eight months' funding will be transferred in the first fiscal year, a full year's funding in the second and third fiscal years and the remaining four months' funding in the fourth fiscal year). This has the advantage of allowing both School and Departmental staff to reach agreement on the amounts at budget time. Funds will be transferred to a carryforward (93xxx) fund in the department via 9103/9104 transfer codes.

In the event the new recruit does not complete the first three years' employment, any unexpended funds will be returned to the pool and future distributions would be cancelled.

Please send your comments to: FinanceComments@msnotes.wustl.edu