Strategic Hiring Initiative – Individual Hires

Funding Guidelines

The following items comprise the required components of the proposal for the Strategic Hiring Initiative (SHI) program. Units can request non-recurring campus support for an additional hire(s) from pre-approved searches if they identify more than one excellent candidate in the pool via SHI.

When submitting a request for this opportunity, units are asked to justify each request and must include an explanation of how funding for the hire will be sustained after non-recurring funding ends. Proposals should be submitted via the online SHI request form.

Requests will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  1. The candidate’s visibility and impact in the area of study, and the potential to improve the standing of the University of Illinois as a leading research institution.
  2. The candidate’s potential to contribute to the unit’s plan for growing its resources in support of its missions, including the ability to generate external research funding, create new educational programs, etc.
  3. The candidate’s impact on the unit’s ability to meet areas of high student demand, address imbalanced student-faculty ratios, and deliver excellent instruction.
  4. The candidate’s potential to develop new programs, contribute to innovations in course delivery, and engage new learners.
  5. The candidate’s ability to contribute to the University’s mission of creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.
  6. The unit’s resource base and ability to add faculty without campus support.
  7. The unit’s previous approvals under this new initiative.

Funding Allocation

If the request to make an additional offer is granted, units may make the offers simultaneously. However, SHI funds are intended to help the unit make an additional hire; the unit will be responsible for costs associated with the first hire. That is, SHI funds become available only if both candidates accept. Awards will take the form of either non-recurring salary support OR contributions to a start-up package.

Salary Awards

In the application, units must specify the type and level of support they seek for the additional position. For salary awards, the Office of the Provost will provide non-recurring support for tenure-stream faculty as follows:

  1. For an Assistant Professor recruit, the support will be for the starting salary up to $100,000 for a period of up to five years or the end of the probationary period, whichever comes first;
  2. For an Associate Professor recruit, the support will be for the starting salary up to $125,000 for a period of up to three years;
  3. For a Full Professor recruit, the support will be for the starting salary up to $150,000 for a period of up to three years.

Units will be responsible for making up any difference between the campus commitment and the actual starting salary during the funding period, and the entire salary cost when the funding period ends.

Start-up Awards

For start-up awards, the Provost will provide non-recurring equipment and lab renovation support as follows:

  1. For an Assistant Professor recruit, the maximum start-up support is $500,000;
  2. For an Associate Professor recruit, the maximum start-up support is $375,000;
  3. For a Full Professor recruit, the maximum start-up support is $450,000.

Additional Information

This Strategic Hiring Initiative does not preclude the Targets of Opportunity Hiring Program, which is still in effect and offers recurring salary support for TOP candidates identified through the traditional search process. However, funding from TOP and SHI programs cannot be combined. For example, if the unit identifies an excellent TOP-eligible candidate as a second hire through the search process, the unit may choose to apply for support for that candidate from either the TOP program or the Strategic Hiring Initiative. Regardless of the decision to pursue either TOP or SHI funding, the unit will remain responsible for the costs of the first hire from the search. The TOP Search Waiver Process will continue to be available for units that wish to pursue outstanding TOP-eligible candidates outside a traditional search. The Dual Career Program is also still in effect, but funding from both Dual Career and SHI programs cannot be combined for a single candidate.

The Strategic Hiring Initiative, introduced in 2022, has a budget of approximately $50 million. We anticipate releasing portions of the funding each year for the next five years or until the budgeted funds are committed, whichever comes first.

For questions about the SHI program, please contact Amy Santos, Associate Provost for Faculty Development at rsantos@illinois.edu or 217-333-6677.