Since the beginning of my presidency at DePaul, I promised to take your feedback into consideration when making major decisions that affect our community. I was sincere in my commitment, which is why I write to let you know that I am revisiting my previous statement about funding both the Diversity and Shared Governance Fellows for the 2023-24 academic year.
On March 20, I announced the decision to postpone the presidential fellowship appointments due to conversations surrounding the FY24 budget. In response, I received feedback from many in our community who asked me to prioritize these projects within my budget allocations. The Presidential Diversity Fellows are a vital component of our efforts to retain faculty of color, and Presidential Shared Governance Fellows are important to further strengthen our commitment to shared governance.
After going through my own budget analysis for the upcoming fiscal year, I have decided to reinstate the original two Presidential Diversity Fellows and find the resources to fund a single Presidential Shared Governance Fellow. I truly hope our long-term budget planning will enable us to appoint even more fellows for the 2024-25 academic year.
Given the pause in accepting applications, I will extend the deadline to
Monday, April 24 and encourage you to submit your proposals as soon as possible. Interested faculty
may apply here.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as I worked to find a solution for next year’s presidential fellowship program. I look forward to learning more about your research proposals and appreciate your help to design a strong future for DePaul.