Main Content

Inclusive Excellence for Faculty and Staff

Academic Affairs prioritizes recruiting, retaining and advancing diverse faculty and leadership to enrich the TCU academic experience and expand our culture of connection.

 

Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs

Beginning January 1, 2022, Provost Dahberg created a new position to support a flourishing faculty of teacher-scholars within a culture of inclusive excellence. Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs M. Francyne Huckaby collaborates with deans, Faculty Senate and the Provost’s Council to support recruitment, hiring, mentoring, development, and promotion and tenure to provide continuation of excellence for faculty throughout their careers at TCU. She fosters clarity and equity in Academic Affairs’ policies and practices.

  • Koehler Center for Instruction, Innovation and Engagement – The AP for Faculty Affairs oversees the Koehler Center to streamline, modernize and improve operations to better support TCU’s high-quality academic offerings in face-to-face and digital learning environments. The Koehler Center supports TCU faculty as they strengthen, re-envision, and innovate teaching practices; enhance successful learning environments; and promote inclusive excellence. The center provides orientation for new faculty, workshops, individual consultations, collaborative spaces of discourse, eFaculty workshops for online teaching, and administration of TCU’s Learning Management System known as TCU Online.
  • Academic Chairs and Directors Council – The AP for Faculty Affairs leads the council to discuss challenges, provide insights and best practices in hiring and onboarding, support tenure and promotion procedures, facilitate an annual multiday professional development institution, and make other recommendations on matters of concern for faculty leaders and program directors.
  • Faculty Workload Equity – TCU Deans, led by the Associate Provost of Faculty Affairs, partnered to develop a university-level, adaptable Faculty Workload Equity Model to be used as a guideline for colleges and schools to develop their individual policies. The model was piloted in the 2022-23 academic year in nine academic units in four colleges and schools. Those academic units in the pilot program began working with faculty in 2023-24 to determine workloads for the upcoming academic year and enter workload data into Faculty180 worksheets. This feedback will improve the process before all academic units engage in Faculty Workload Equity Model and college policies.

Faculty Hiring Checklist

The eight-step university-wide Faculty Hiring Checklist was created in 2019, refined in 2020, piloted in spring 2022 and implemented in fall 2022 to facilitate efforts by hiring managers and search committees to attract and hire the best, most diverse faculty consistent with TCU’s high standards of inclusive excellence. The checklist encompasses the entire hiring process, step by step, from beginning to end, including committee selection, recruitment, job postings, interviews, hiring, onboarding, and submitting required documents via PageUp and a designated TCU Box folder. The Faculty Hiring Checklist is led by Dr. Claire Sanders, Provost’s Faculty Fellow and Academic Affairs DEI Advocate.

Shared-Cost Hiring Initiative

Provost Dahlberg instituted a Shared Cost Hiring Initiative in 2021 to provide up to 50% funding with a cap of $50,000 for newly hired tenured or tenure-track faculty who meet TCU’s established objectives of transforming faculty diversity at TCU, increasing the number of meritorious teacher-scholars across all disciplines from underrepresented faculty. The goal is to foster an inclusive university community, achieve greater diversity in our professorial ranks, and expand the number of teacher-scholars engaged in innovative cutting-edge research. As of Fall 2023, eight positions have been hired out of the goal of 19. The initiative will continue through 2025. To participate, college deans must gain Provost approval prior to beginning a search. Faculty should consult with their dean for more information.

DEI Scholar Fellowship

Established in 2022, the DEI Scholar Fellowship recruits emerging scholars from a range of disciplines who are well-prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching students’ education. DEI Scholar Fellows receive a competitive annual salary and benefits, and additional support for research and professional development. Provost awards each college/school one DEI Scholar Fellowship, for a total of three per year, renewable for one additional year. The appointment is for up to two years with a focus on research and publishing. Colleges must submit an application by June 1 prior to the year in which the college will initiate the interview and hiring process. The DEI Scholar program is funded by the Office of the Provost and administered by the Office of Research.

Postdoctoral Fellows and Visiting Professors

In partnership with the Chancellor, the Provost offers postdoctoral fellowships or visiting professorships for promising recent PhDs whose academic training, teaching areas, background and experiences will contribute to diversity and stellar scholarship at TCU. One postdoctoral fellow from a specific discipline is sought each year.

National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity

TCU is an institutional member of NCFDD, a nationally recognized, independent organization that provides online career development and mentoring resources for faculty, post-docs and graduate students. NCFDD offers a Faculty Success Program which boasts that 97% of their participants who go up for tenure promotion receive it. Program expenses are covered by the school or college. Faculty and staff can claim TCU’s free institutional membership to access materials, which are insightful and grounding for a flourishing faculty career. Go here for more information.

Inclusive Excellence Research Grants

The goal was to ensure that TCU’s core institutional work achieves intended outcomes and that the intended outcomes are equally achieved for people from all identities. Awarded in 2021 and 2022, the IE Research Grants assessed existing or new activities to measure their impact on participants across multiple identities. These activities could be a course, co-curricular activity, student success program, employee training or development program, study abroad or research experience, or other activities for students or employees. The Provost’s Office and the Office of Research awarded four grants totaling $57.5K.

Other TCU Resources

Office of Diversity and Inclusion – Faculty and Staff

Intercultural Center – Program and Departments