Faculty Excellence

Investing in faculty ensures UW attracts and keeps the best of the best.

 

University of Wyoming faculty members are collaborative and creative individuals who expand the minds of our students, opening their eyes to the widest range of possibilities. What helps our faculty thrive? Faculty support funds, endowed fellowships, and endowed chairs and professorships — funds that enable great ideas to flourish.  

UW is home to more than 700 outstanding teaching, research and extension faculty — extraordinary scholars and educators who create dynamic new approaches to teaching and learning, fuel industries and breakthroughs, and guide our students to extraordinary futures. Many have won national and international awards and professional recognition for excellence.

Recruiting, retaining and recognizing exceptional faculty is an ongoing priority for UW. Endowed faculty positions are essential in this process. Endowed positions and faculty excellence funds signal UW’s commitment to an academic discipline at the highest level. They allow the university to attract and retain leading scholars who, in turn, attract top faculty and students. For faculty, endowed positions affirm the value placed on the excellence of one’s work and demonstrate to other faculty that extraordinary work is rewarded by the UW community.

Philanthropy that supports our faculty yields tangible results. Great faculty members bring vision to their departments, advance their academic disciplines and lead research that results in major discoveries. An endowed faculty position is a prestigious honor that provides a distinguished title and discretionary funds for a faculty member as a named chair, professor or faculty fellow in a specific academic area. The position can be named by the donor, in the donor’s name or to honor a family member, friend, colleague, teacher or other individual.

These positions are tied to the role rather than an individual, and recipients provide annual updates to both UW administration and the donor. When a donor establishes an endowment, the original gift, or principal, is invested and preserved. The university uses only a portion of the investment expenditures each year. This distribution supports the donor’s intended purpose, whether a scholarship, faculty chair or program. The principal remains intact, continues to grow over time and ensures a sustainable source of support in perpetuity.

For example, a $1 million gift to endow a professorship typically generates around $40,000 in annual support after an initial one-year waiting period.

In addition to endowed faculty, there are term faculty positions that are supported by expendable gifts. Expendable gifts are not invested. Rather, they go directly to their intended purpose. At least a three-year gift commitment is required for this type of investment to ensure stability in the position. 

Donors sometimes give gifts that have both an expendable and an endowed portion. That way, they can see an immediate impact while also supporting that position over the long term.

At UW, being named to an endowed faculty position is one of the highest honors a faculty member can achieve. It pays tribute to their work and their impact on students while furthering the university’s mission of teaching, research and service to the state.

 

See the full list of Endowed Faculty here.

 

Minimum Endowment to Support Named Faculty Positions
College Dean or School Director – $5 million
Distinguished Chair – $2.5 million
Department Head – $2 million 
Chair – $1.5 million 
Director – $1 million
Professorship – $500,000 
Faculty Fellowship – $100,000 

 

Endowed Positions Explained
A college dean or school director is the top academic and administrative leader of a college or school within the university. This person sets the vision and strategic direction for the unit, oversees faculty and staff, manages budgets and serves as the primary ambassador for the college to external partners, donors and the broader community.

A distinguished chair is the highest level of endowed faculty recognition a university can bestow. Distinguished chairs are reserved for scholars of exceptional national or international reputation — researchers and teachers who are leaders in their fields and whose work elevates the prestige of the entire institution. A donor gift at this level creates a permanent legacy while attracting and retaining the most accomplished academic talent.

A department head is the faculty leader responsible for the day-to-day academic and administrative operations of a specific academic department. Department heads oversee curriculum, faculty hiring and development, student success and departmental budgets. They serve as a bridge between faculty and college-level leadership.

A chair is an endowed position that recognizes a faculty member for outstanding achievement in research, teaching and service. Supported by investment earnings from a donor-established endowment, a chair provides the faculty member with dedicated resources that advance their scholarly work while enhancing the university’s ability to recruit and retain top-tier talent.

A director typically leads a specific center, institute or program within the university, sometimes within a college or department. Directors manage the operations, partnerships and strategic priorities of their unit, often working at the intersection of academic research and real-world application or community engagement.

A professorship is a faculty position that recognizes distinguished scholars and supports their teaching and research. Professorships are often endowed at a level that generates annual support for the faculty member’s work and, like chairs, they serve as important tools for recruiting and retaining exceptional faculty — though they are generally established at a lower gift threshold than a distinguished chair.

 

A faculty fellowship provides dedicated support — such as funding for research, travel, course releases or professional development — to a faculty member for a defined period of time. Fellowships are especially meaningful for early- and mid-career faculty, giving them the time and resources needed to advance their scholarship, to develop new programs, and to pursue creative and innovative work that might not otherwise be possible.

 

Read the full policy at bit.ly/naming-policy