NEW YORK—Fordham University has funded several endowed faculty positions this academic year, including four endowed chairs and six distinguished service professorships, thanks to generous gifts to the University and a trustee-supported decision to invest in endowed professorships. In addition, the University raised five named professorships at Fordham’s School of Law to full funding.
The University has also created a $2 million endowment to support the Magis Faculty Fellows Program, which will celebrate and encourage recently tenured faculty.
“These newly created endowed chairs will enable Fordham both to build on its existing strengths and to make significant progress in its drive to achieve ever-greater national prominence in the world of American higher education,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University.
As a result of this new funding, the University was able to more than double the number of fully endowed chairs and professorships that it has, from 11 at the beginning of the 2003-2004 academic year to 26 at the beginning of the 2004-2005 academic year.
Funding endowed chairs and distinguished professorships, each of which cost $2 million to fully fund, assist faculty in the development of research initiatives and the creation of national conferences, among other scholarly activities that help raise the academic cachet of the University.
“Increasing the number of endowed chairs and professorships helps to attract world-class faculty and enhances the academic prestige and excellence associated with the University,” said John Hollwitz, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs. “This also reinforces Fordham’s deep commitment to develop and retain the talented professors that are already here.”
The academic deans are currently developing the qualifications and parameters for the distinguished and Magis professorships, a process that will continue through mid-December, after which the University will begin recruiting candidates. The hope is to have all of the positions filled by next year, according to Hollwitz.
The Graduate School of Business and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will both receive two distinguished service professorships, and the Graduate School of Education and the Graduate School of Social Service will each receive one.
