FAMILE Initiative

FAMILE: Faculty Advancement at Maryland for Inclusive Learning and Excellence

In accordance with our core values, mission and desire to create a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment for all, we are announcing a new faculty initiative entitled the FAMILE-FACULTY ADVANCEMENT at MARYLAND for INCLUSIVE LEARNING AND EXCELLENCE, a diversity initiative aimed at recruiting outstanding tenured or tenure-track faculty members. More details regarding the initial implementation of the FAMILE initiative are available here. The total commitment by the University with matching funds from the Deans is estimated at more than $40M over the next 10 years. The goal is to increase faculty diversity and add over 100 new tenured, or tenure-track faculty in departments and units across campus based on demonstrated diversity objectives. This program has three components that have been informed by discussions with the Deans, and presents a uniform approach to the University’s faculty diversity initiatives. These programs include the:

  1. President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP);
  2. Assistant Professor Targeted Hire Program; and
  3. Senior Targeted Hire Program.

A primary focus of the FAMILE Initiative is the PPFP and Assistant Professor Targeted Hire faculty diversity programs due to the desire to strengthen the connection between the PPFP and tenure-track faculty hiring. While this is an important primary focus, an equally important secondary focus of the FAMILE Initiative is the creation of a welcoming and embracing climate in which each recruit is incorporated into a collegial academic community and is exposed to a set of connections that will advance the person’s expertise, career, and sense of agency. With these goals in mind, to be eligible to apply for FAMILE funds, departments must complete the following activities (This document provides updated guidance related to the three activities.)

  1. Inclusive Faculty Hiring Workshop: Each member of department search committees must complete the Inclusive Hiring Workshop, facilitated by ADVANCE and the Office of Diversity of Inclusion. These workshops take place online and include synchronous and asynchronous components. In their FAMILE proposal, departments will provide a list of search committee members and the ADVANCE Program will verify that each member completed the workshop. More information and registration information can be found on the ADVANCE website.
  2. Individualized Retention Plan: Departments will complete a retention plan that outlines an individualized development plan for the new faculty member and identifies concrete actions department members will take to support their professional growth. This retention plan, along with the Readiness Assessment and other proposal materials, will be evaluated by the Review Committee, the Office of Faculty Affairs, and the Provost in making determination about which FAMILE proposals are funded. Guidance for creating the individualized retention is located here.
  3. Readiness Assessment: The goal of this assessment is for the department to provide a realistic appraisal of the department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strengths and achievements as well as areas for growth and future plans for equity-minded change. This assessment, along with the Individualized Retention Plan and other proposal materials, will be evaluated by the Review Committee, the Office of Faculty Affairs, and the Provost in making determinations about which FAMILE proposals are funded. Guidance for the Readiness Assessment in Part B of the Update FAMILE Guidance. The instructions, templates, and data files needed to complete the readiness assessment are included in Box here. NOTE: You will need to be logged into your UMD box account in order to access these documents.

President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

In 2016, the University of Maryland joined the University of California-sponsored consortium of universities, originally organized in 1984. This consortium collaborates in seeking postdoctoral scholars who can contribute to an enhanced understanding of the experiences of historically underrepresented scholars through their research, educational background, or personal experience. Through this program, the University seeks to facilitate the hiring of postdoctoral scholars into tenure track faculty positions at the University. More details are available here. More general information regarding the PPFP is available here

Assistant Professor Targeted Hire Program

This program provides partial support for hires at the assistant professor level that enhance faculty diversity at the department and college levels. The intention is to secure faculty early in their academic careers who show great promise. Funds are limited and available on a competitive basis. There are two application windows: April 15 and November 1. Applications must be submitted via the Faculty Affairs APA portal.  Chairs and Directors should work with their Deans on any potential proposals prior to submission.  All proposals will be reviewed at the same time by the Provost, Office of Faculty Affairs, and Finance and Personnel within the Office of the Provost.

Proposals must include the following items, provided in a single PDF packet:

  1. The Candidate's CV;
  2. A letter of support from the unit head;
  3. A vote of the unit faculty indicating support for the hire;
  4. A list of the search committee members who participated in the ADVANCE inclusive hiring workshop;
  5. A letter of support from the dean (for departmentalized colleges), including prioritization when applicable;
  6. A ranking of faculty if multiple simultaneous requests are being made;
  7. Data regarding demographics of tenure-track faculty of the unit, college, and field / discipline;
  8. Data regarding student enrollment and demographics;
  9. A retention plan for the hire(s). See Appendix B of the FAMILE Call for Proposals for more information about what to include in a retention plan; and
  10. At least three reference letters collected as part of the search process.

Senior Targeted Hire Diversity Program

This program provides support for the targeted recruiting of renowned senior faculty (tenured) who enhance faculty diversity and mentoring and foster the university’s goal of inclusive excellence. Funds are limited, and there are two application windows: April 15 and November 1. Applications must be submitted via the Faculty Affairs APA portal.  Chairs and Directors should work with their Deans on any potential proposals prior to submission

Proposals must include the following items, provided in a single PDF packet:

  1. The Candidate's CV;
  2. A letter of support from the unit head;
  3. A vote of the unit faculty indicating support for the hire;
  4. A letter of support from the dean (for departmentalized colleges), including prioritization when applicable;
  5. A ranking of faculty if multiple simultaneous requests are being made;
  6. Data regarding demographics of tenure-track faculty of the unit, college, and field / discipline;
  7. Data regarding student enrollment and demographics;
  8. The impact of the scholarship of the candidate;
  9. A retention plan for the hire(s). See Appendix B of the FAMILE Call for Proposals for more information about what to include in a retention plan; and
  10. A description of how the candidate would contribute to building an inclusive department, college, and university culture and environment, including description of past efforts at prior institutions.

Note: Fund transfer to units to support senior hires are contingent upon a successful APT review process.

Additional Programs and Supports 

In addition to to the diversity hiring programs, the University also offers

  • Spousal Hire Support. In order to aid recruitment efforts for an excellent and diverse faculty, previously informal guidance for hiring dual-career couples has been codified into official guidelines and procedures
  • Leadership and Development Initiatives—The Office of Faculty Affairs and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs provide a range of leadership, development, and mentoring opportunities for faculty and postdoctoral scholars. These efforts include the Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership and Department Executive Officer Programs, Department Chair workshops, Faculty Forums, grant writing and productivity support groups, mentoring networks, and postdoctoral scholar workshops.
  • ADVANCE. The ADVANCE program offers a range of networking, leadership, and support communities and opportunities, in particular for women and faculty of color.