520.265 - Endowed Chairs (Including Presidential Chairs)

A. Appointments to endowed chairs shall be in conformance with APM-191 Policy on Endowed Chairs and Professorships.

B. Establishment and Naming of an Endowed Chair - see APM - 191.B.

C. Appointment to Chairs Established in Academic Departments or Divisions

1. Upon establishment of, vacancy in, or end of term of appointment for a chair in an academic department or division, the Campus Provost or designee will forward a copy of the proposal made to the donor(s) and/or the letter of gift, which describe the gift and the conditions under which it was made, to the assigned academic department or division. A term of appointment and estimated level of annual funds available to the chair holder will be specified, as well as a statement limiting the expenditure of funds to the term of appointment. If it is the desire of the donor(s) to remain anonymous, any identifying information in the proposal or letter of gift shall be deleted from materials made available to the recommending unit, review committees, or individuals.

2. Nominations for appointment to an endowed chair will originate with the department or division to which the chair is assigned. Chairs are normally assigned to a department but may also be assigned to a division. In the case where a chair is assigned to a Division, the Dean will solicit nominations. If the Dean receives more than one nomination, the Dean may solicit input from the Divisional Committee on Academic Personnel or others as appropriate. The Dean determines which nominations to forward for review.

3. Nominations for a departmental or divisional chair shall contain the following:

   • a recommending letter,
   • the candidate's biobibliography or curriculum vitae,
   • a copy of the donor proposal or letter of gift, and
   • a statement from the nominee addressing the use of funds to promote or develop a program consistent with the purpose of the endowment.

4. The nominations will be reviewed and commented upon by the appropriate Dean and forwarded to the Senate Committee on Academic Personnel for comment.

5. The Campus Provost or designee makes a recommendation to the Chancellor, who has authority to approve the appointment to an endowed chair, including the presidential chair. If an individual not holding a University appointment is recommended, the policies and procedures for the proposed title as appropriate, shall govern.

6. Incumbent chairs should submit an annual report on activities and the expenditure of funds. Appointment terms may vary from one to five years, dependent upon the conditions outlined in the letter of gift.

D. Appointment to Chairs Not Established in Academic Departments or Divisions (Including Presidential Chairs)

1. Upon establishment of or vacancy in such a chair, the Campus Provost or designee shall send a letter soliciting nominations to divisional Deans. The solicitation letter shall include a statement of purpose expressing the donor's intent in establishing the chair, and the estimated level of annual funds to be available to the chair holder. A term of appointment will be specified, as well as a statement limiting the expenditure of funds to the term of appointment.

2. Nominations forwarded by Deans should be accompanied by statements from nominees addressing the use of funds to promote or develop particular programs, including a preliminary budget proposal. A supporting letter from the candidate's department and a biobibliography or curriculum vitae should be included.

3. Nominations will be reviewed and commented upon by the Committee on Academic Personnel and the Campus Provost or designee.

4. The Chancellor has authority to appoint endowed chairs and presidential chairs.

5. In the case of the presidential chair, the Campus Provost or designee will recommend appointment to the Chancellor, indicating the fields or disciplines in which the chair will be designated and the relationship of the chair to campus priorities as indicated in the campus academic plan or other relevant planning documents. The submission must also indicate the procedure for consultation with students in selecting the nominee.

E. Appointment to Chairs for Which the Full Endowment Corpus is Not Yet Attained

Two options may be followed for appointment to chairs for which the full endowment corpus has not yet been attained.

• The chair may remain unfilled until the full endowment is reached.

• Appointment to the chair can be recommended during the period in which the endowment corpus is growing. Such a chair would be referred to as "conditionally established." The chair payout will be made available to the chair holder in accordance with the terms of the gift instrument or the administrative allocation. If the donor has specified that the payout be added to the principal until the endowment is fully funded, then the payout will be added to the chair principal. Under these circumstances, the chair holder will not receive the payout until the endowment equals the value of the pledged amount. In the event of a chair that does not reach full funding by the end of the specified period, see provisions for disestablishing chairs in Section G.

F. Use of Fund Payout - see APM - 191.D.

G. Disestablishment of an Endowed Chair

In the event that one or the other of the following conditions occurs, the Chancellor, after consultation with the Committees on Planning and Budget and Academic Personnel, may recommend to the President that a chair should be disestablished:

1. The subject area of the chair ceases to be consistent with the University's mission or the academic plan of the campus, or

2. The chair remains vacant for a period of three years and the Chancellor, after consultation with the appropriate Dean and Department Chair, determines there is no likelihood of filling the chair.

3. The establishment of a chair is contingent upon completion of funding. If the endowment does not reach full funding by the specified date, the endowment may be reviewed at the campus, including consideration of alternative uses for income prescribed by the gift instrument.

4. Upon disestablishment of a chair funded through a gift, fund payout shall be redirected to the alternative purpose stated in the gift instrument or as subsequently specified by the donor in consultation with the Chancellor and General Counsel. If a donor is deceased and has not specified an alternative purpose, the assistance of General Counsel in obtaining court approval for an alternative use of fund payout in a related field will be requested.