Call for applications: Bridge to Faculty Scholars Program

We are pleased to announce the continuation of the Bridge to Faculty Scholars Program. We invite interested departments to apply for a place in the program this fall, which will provide them with the opportunity to recruit a scholar to start at UIC in fall 2023.

B2F is designed to recruit underrepresented, early career, research-focused scholars with the goal of providing department mentorship and support and the aim of transitioning them into faculty positions after this protected training period. This recruitment initiative aims to diversify our faculty by attracting and retaining promising scholars who are historically underrepresented in their fields of study, with particular emphasis on reflecting student enrollment patterns, significantly affecting student engagement and success, and increasing diversity in departments with low or no presence of underrepresented faculty. Salary support for the B2F scholar positions and the faculty hires that result will be provided by UIC’s central administration.

UIC departments that are interested in diversifying their faculty through B2F are invited to apply to the program in pursuit of an opportunity to host a scholar starting at the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year. This is an open call to all campus departments, though we encourage departments that are interested in expanding their faculty expertise in areas of innovation and/or entrepreneurship to apply.

Departments that wish to apply to the program must send at least one department representative to the Bridge to Faculty Application Workshop, a virtual information session about the program, scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 30, from 10 a.m.–noon. Pre-registration for this workshop is required. Applications will not be considered from departments unless at least one representative attends this virtual workshop.

Departments interested in applying are required to complete and return a program application. The program application is updated annually; the current application form can be accessed by faculty and staff via UIC Box. Departments must demonstrate dean-level approval in their application (i.e., dean signature). Only one application per department is allowed. 

The deadline for applying to the Bridge to Faculty Scholars Program is 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19. Departments that have previously applied to the program may apply to the current call for applications and must complete all requirements specified in this call. The program application is updated annually, so please complete the application linked in this call.

Departments will be notified of selection by Oct. 4, and awarded departments must attend a post-award information session, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 7, from noon-2 p.m., before beginning any search activities. Selected departments will advertise the position, conduct a search and select their scholar. Searches must be advertised nationally, and all departments are required to conduct a competitive search (i.e., identify and interview multiple qualified candidates). Current and former UIC graduate students are welcome to apply for advertised B2F positions.

In addition to the department mentorship outlined in the application, B2F Scholars will participate in cohort-based programming through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Engagement, where they will have the opportunity to meet and interact with other program scholars. This programming is designed to complement the mentoring and support scholars receive from their departments.

All finalists for any advertised Bridge to Faculty Scholar position must be eligible for an Aug. 16, 2023, start date. Further, a selected candidate for the Bridge to Faculty position must be at the appropriate career stage and development level to participate in and benefit from the scholar training period (e.g., less than five years beyond receiving a PhD, MFA or other faculty-eligible terminal degree; less than five years beyond the end of medical fellowship training). B2F is designed as a two-year program. However, we welcome departments and colleges to discuss field norms and considerations with us to ensure that all departments at UIC have the potential to participate in the program. Requests for exceptions to lengthen the two-year scholar period will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

B2F Scholars must be provided with adequate time, resources and mentorship to focus primarily on progress toward research activities and scholarly publications. Some teaching responsibilities can be included but are not to exceed two courses for the duration of the scholar training period. Departments where teaching is not a required activity may specify no more than 20% FTE be devoted to clinical or applied work in lieu of teaching responsibilities.

The Bridge to Faculty Scholars Program is funded by the Chancellor’s Office and administered through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Engagement. For more information about the application and process for applying, please contact Bridgetofaculty@uic.edu