Recruit and Retain Faculty and Staff

Overview

Faculty are the heart and soul of all great universities. They define the scope and quality of the educational experience and have transformative impacts on individual lives. They drive innovation by challenging assumptions, testing ideas and creating new knowledge. Through their intellect, curiosity and passion, they guide and mentor students in their own journey of discovery.

Key Takeaways

• NC State is home to 2,300 outstanding teaching, research and extension faculty: dedicated scholars and educators with established records in advanced teaching and research. Twenty-one are members of prestigious National Academies. Many more have won national and international awards and professional recognition for excellence.
• Recruiting and retaining exceptional faculty to lead academic programs is a priority for all universities. Endowed faculty positions are essential in this process. Endowed positions signal the commitment of the university to an academic discipline at the highest level. They attract leading scholars who, in turn, attract top faculty and students.
• The market for outstanding faculty is intensely competitive. Compared with peer research institutions, NC State has significantly fewer endowed chairs and distinguished professorships. Increasing the number of endowed faculty positions will enable NC State to recruit new faculty and retain excellent scholars already at our university.

Opportunities

• Endowed Chairs and Endowed Distinguished Professorships provide salary, salary supplements, operational support enhancements and other resources to attract and retain highly respected scholars.  Many gifts qualify for state and matching funds. 
• Endowments and fellowships help fund the work of established and emerging faculty.  Not only does this funding help attract the best and brightest faculty to NC State, but also provide vital discretionary funds that that these scholars can use toward their research, conference travel and other professional needs.