Endowed Chair Policy

Purpose

EMU has established endowed chairs in selected programs. Endowed chairs are intended to honor an outstanding faculty member and provide support for their continued excellence in scholarship and teaching.  Endowed chairs also bring special benefits to programs and students.  In each case there is understood to be three components of the chair endowment:  1) faculty member, 2) program, and 3) student scholarships. The purpose of this policy is to outline expectations for how appointments to endowed chairs will be made and how income from these endowments will be used. The policy ensures accountability on the part of faculty and administrators, as well as fairness throughout the institution. The Advancement division has additional policies on fundraising and expectations for endowed chairs.

Appointment Process

The Provost's Council, in consultation with the relevant academic dean, will recommend to Faculty Status Committee the appointment of a particular faculty member to an endowed chair.  The Faculty Status Committee will consider the recommendation in light of the general purposes of endowed chairs and any specific criteria for the particular chair, and will vote to approve or disapprove the appointment.  Approved appointments will be submitted to the EMU Board of Trustees for confirmation.

Income Distribution

Endowment income will be distributed as described below. In all cases faculty and program expenditures are to be approved by the appropriate dean. The dean is expected to annually submit a budget for distribution of the funds, monitor results throughout the year, and report on uses of the funds. All institutional policies are to be followed in the expenditure of funds.

Faculty chair -- A contribution is made toward salary and benefits for the person named to the chair.

Program -- The first $1,500 in the program component of the endowment distribution is available annually for professional development or office equipment/technology for the person named to the chair. With the agreement of the dean, the funds may be accumulated and used for larger purchases or release time for scholarship. 

Additional program funds may be used by the department for the following:

1. Equipment/technology purchases
2. Curriculum materials or curriculum revision activities
3. Professional development activities
4. Conference/seminar/workshop hosting
5. Internships for students
6. Summer camps for prospective students
7. Other enriching activities for students
8. Activities with constituencies

Student scholarships - See Endowed Scholarship Policy from the Financial Assistance Department for information on how funds are distributed.

Responsible Party

The Provost is responsible for this policy. Deans, department chairs, and persons appointed to endowed chairs carry responsibility along with the provost to implement this policy as written.

Policy Review

This policy is to be reviewed every 5 years.

Distribution

Faculty/Staff Handbook

Approved by President’s Cabinet, June 6, 2005
Approved by President’s Cabinet, May 26, 2010
Approved by academic cabinet, October 8, 2014
Revised and approved by Provost's Council, April 30, 2020