Faculty Recruitment Program (FRP)
Contact: Madeline Byrne
Email: Madeline.Byrne@ucf.edu
Phone: (407) 823-0098
Added: October 27, 2015
Updated: October, 2019
The Faculty Recruitment Program (FRP) was previously known as the Targeted Opportunity Program (TOP).
The information on this website will be updated when the Office of Faculty Excellence (FE), Office of Institutional Equity (OIE), Academic Affairs (AA) and/or the College of Sciences (COS) makes changes to the process. For more information regarding specifics please review the latest information from the authorized entity.
If you need the most recent version of the forms, please contact Madeline Byrne.
TOPICS
• Rationale
• Description
• Funding
• Application Process
o Inclusive Excellence
o Partner Program
o National Academy Members
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Rationale
The FRP supports three priorities at UCF: (1) inclusive excellence in our tenure track/tenured faculty, (2) becoming the desired university of choice for academic couples (spouse, significant other, or domestic partner), and (3) being flexible and nimble in order to recruit world class faculty.
Description
The FRP is used for three types of initiatives. In all three types, we know the candidate’s name; therefore it does not represent a traditional faculty search. Additionally, if the faculty are in any current/open search at UCF, they cannot be considered.
• The process outlined here should be used regardless of funding source (Academic Affairs (AA), college, department, school, center, or institute).
• The FRP is managed by the Office of Faculty Excellence.
• If the selected candidates for any of these AA supported hires leaves UCF then the line and funding return to AA for redistribution.
• Because funding is limited it is important that departments not confirm an offer of these positions until a written notification indicating final approval for hire is received from Faculty Excellence.
Funding
For 2019-20, the following lines have been allocated
Inclusive Excellence
If supported, AA will pay 100% of the faculty salary (up to $100,000) and benefits for the first three (3) years and then 50% of the recurring salary (up to $50,000) and benefits in years four (4) and beyond. Requests for any start-up funding will be considered but is not guaranteed.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4+ | |
| AA | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% |
| Department | 0% | 0% | 0% | 50% |
The hiring unit needs to identify recurring resources for 50% of the line in year 1. The funding provided by AA during year 1-3 will fund 50% of line and provide a non-salary nonrecurring adjustment equivalent to 50% of the line.
Partner Hires
Non-Tenure Earning (Instructor, Lecturer or non-tenure earning multi-year assistant/associate/full professors): If supported, AA will pay 50% of the faculty salary or up to $50,000, whichever is less, plus benefits, in years one (1) – three (3). Departments A and B will each pay 25% of the salary in years one (1) – three (3). If performance is at least above satisfactory in years one (1) – three (3), department B agrees to fully support the non-tenure earning faculty in years four and beyond. All other non-tenure earning positions (i.e. clinical and research) are not eligible for this program funding.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Years 4+ | |
| AA | 50% | 50% | 50% | 0% |
| Department A | 25% | 25% | 25% | 0% |
| Department B | 25% | 25% | 25% | 100% |
The hiring unit for the non-tenure earning line needs to identify recurring resources for 100% of the line in year 1. The funding provided by AA and “department A” during year 1-3 will provide a non-salary nonrecurring adjustment equivalent to 75% of the line.
Tenure‐Track/Tenured Positions: If supported, AA will pay, in perpetuity, 50% of the faculty recruiting salary or up to $50,000, whichever is less, plus benefits, as long as the faculty member becomes tenured and stays with UCF. Requests for any startup funding are considered but are not guaranteed.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Years 4+ | |
| AA | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% |
| Department A | 25% | 25% | 25% | 0% |
| Department B | 25% | 25% | 25% | 50% |
The hiring unit for the tenure-track/tenured line needs to identify recurring resources for 50% of the line in year 1. The funding provided by AA and “department A” during year 1-3 will provide a non-salary nonrecurring adjustment equivalent to 50% of the line.
Note: The partner program can only be considered an option when the primary candidate is being considered for a tenure track or tenured position.
National Academy Members
UCF is focused on reaching six National Academy Members. As such, all funds for preeminent scholars are directed toward this effort.
Application Process
Inclusive Excellence
It is important to contact Faculty Excellence prior to inviting anyone to campus in order to confirm eligibility.
1. The department completes the Inclusive Excellence FRP form and submits it to the college with the candidates CV.
a. Contact Madeline Byrne if you need the most recent version of the form.
2. The college reviews the Inclusive Excellence form and obtains the dean’s signature
3. The form and the candidate’s CV is sent to Faculty Excellence.
4. Faculty Excellence will provide the college with an application link and the college will provide that to the hiring unit for the candidate to complete.
a. Once the application is submitted in the system the unit should notify the college.
5. The completed application will be submitted to the Pegasus Professor Council and OIE for review. They will provide their recommendations and the vice provost of Faculty Excellence will send the college one of three results.
a. Supports
b. Supports in principal but does not support funding at this time
c. Does not support
6. Decision from Faculty Excellence
a. If the decision is “Does not support,” the unit cannot hire the candidate unless they are selected via the traditional search process.
b. If the decision is “Supports in principal but does not support funding at this time,” then the unit would need to use their own funding to hire the candidate.
i. The unit should fill out a Position Number Request form and outline the financial plan for the position.
ii. Once that PNR is approved, the unit can begin negotiations and when ready, email the Recommendation to Hire Letter to COS Admin for the colleges review.
iii. The college will reach out to the hiring unit on the next steps to work on the background check.
c. If the decision is “Supports,” the college will reach out to the hiring unit and negotiations with the candidate can begin. When the unit is ready, email the Recommendation to Hire Letter to COS Admin for the colleges review.
i. The unit will have 30 days to get a signed soft offer letter from the candidate. If a signed soft offer letter is not provided to Faculty Excellence within 30 days, the line will be reallocated back to AA.
ii. After Faculty Excellence receives the signed soft offer letter, that with the application is forwarded to finance and accounting and AA for their records.
iii. The college will reach out to the hiring unit on the next steps to work on the background check.
1. After Dean Johnson approves the short list for tenure earning/tenured positions, the college will reach out to the unit to confirm all interviews are scheduled. Then the college will send an email to Faculty Excellence with the names of the interviewees for the tenure earning/tenured position.
a. Faculty Excellence will send an email to the candidate that says: “If you have a partner (meaning spouse, significant other, or domestic partner) interested in a faculty position at UCF, please have them apply to search X or search Y if they would like to be considered for a tenure‐track/tenured position or an instructor/lecturer position. Neither the search committee nor the hiring official will be notified of your request unless you are the selected candidate. If you are the selected candidate, then the department may apply for a program to support your partner’s hire into a faculty line.”
2. When the final candidate is selected, the chair/director contacts Faculty Excellence (prior to calling the candidate) to find out if the selected candidate has a partner under consideration.
a. If there is no partner hire to consider, then the chair/director proceeds knowing a request does not need to be submitted.
3. If there is a partner hire to consider, then the chair/director of the primary candidate’s home unit reaches out to the chair/director of the partner’s proposed department knowing which type of hire will be requested (TT/T or I/L).
4. If both departments/colleges support the partner’s hire, then the colleges will jointly submit a scanned pdf of the completed FRP Partner Hire application to FacultyExcellence@ucf.edu. (Please note that there are two forms: one for TT/T and one for I/L.)
5. The completed application will be submitted to the Pegasus Professor Council and OIE for review. They will provide their recommendations and the vice provost of Faculty Excellence will send the college one of three results.
a. Supports
b. Supports in principal but does not support funding at this time
c. Does not support
6. Decision from Faculty Excellence
a. If the decision is “Does not support,” the unit cannot hire the candidate unless they are selected via the traditional search process.
b. If the decision is “Supports in principal but does not support funding at this time,” then the unit would need to use their own funding to hire the candidate.
i. The unit should fill out a Position Number Request form and outline the financial plan for the position.
ii. Once that PNR is approved, the unit can begin negotiations and when ready, email the Recommendation to Hire Letter to COS Admin for the colleges review.
iii. The college will reach out to the hiring unit on the next steps to work on the background check.
c. If the decision is “Supports,” the college will reach out to the hiring unit and negotiations with the candidate can begin. When the unit is ready, email the Recommendation to Hire Letter to COS Admin for the colleges review.
i. The unit will have 30 days to get a signed soft offer letter from BOTH candidates. If signed soft offer letters are not provided to Faculty Excellence within 30 days, the line will be reallocated back to AA.
ii. After Faculty Excellence receives the signed soft offer letters, that with the application is forwarded to finance and accounting and AA for their records.
iii. The college will reach out to the hiring unit on the next steps to work on the background check.
National Academy Members
These are strategic opportunity hires to attract the very best in the world to UCF. Diversity and preeminence are not mutually exclusive in that among the very best in a given field may indeed be someone from a diverse background. There is no formal application for this category of hire. Requests for consideration should be made via a letter from the sponsoring dean(s)/VPR to the vice provost for Faculty Excellence and include supporting documentation of impact at UCF. The Pegasus Professor Council will review and write a summary which will be presented to the Dean’s Council for their additional input, with the final decision being made by the vice provost for Faculty Excellence. Questions regarding the FRP and/or the process for submission of requests should be sent directly to Faculty Excellence facultyexcellence@ucf.edu