Dear Colleagues:

We are entering our second year of the High Impact Hiring Plan (HIHP) initiative. This is the first of two calls for pre-proposals this year. The second call will be in spring, 2015.

The (HIHP) leverages our finite pool of resources to recruit new faculty who are most likely to have a transformational impact on the quality, reputation, and impact of our academic mission (see the attachment for the original description of the plan and call). Last year, three HIHP proposals were chosen: fMRI Neuroimaging; Air Quality and Climate Change; and In Vivo In Vitro. These projects all embody the full intent of the HIHP.

This year we will continue to recruit prominent and influential faculty leaders whose scholarly, scientific, and creative accomplishments and career trajectories promise to accelerate our ascendency among the ranks of globally preeminent research universities. Candidates may be eligible for appointment at the level of Chancellor's or Distinguished Professor (pending review as usual), but we also encourage consideration of candidates with exceptional accomplishments and extraordinary promise at somewhat earlier stages of their careers.

These senior leadership appointments will be supported by additional FTE at lower levels, with the option of linking up to five of these more junior positions with each of the leadership hires. In most cases, in order to encourage broader impact at least one or two of the less senior positions should be in disciplines other than that of the leadership hire. Clustering positions around each of these distinguished appointments should increase opportunities for successful high-level recruitment by demonstrating the campus's commitment to outstanding research and global impact in the selected field.

Funding for positions allocated through this initiative require cost sharing between the central campus and the participating units. Recruitment may begin as early as spring 2015, but may remain open until filled, pending an approved hiring schedule. In addition to the HIHP, other hiring will proceed as usual, including the Career Partner Program, the Distinguished Professor Program, the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, and turnover positions already allocated to the schools.

As is the case whenever we seek to recruit new faculty to our campus, our commitment to a culture of inclusive excellence requires us to consider a diverse cross-section of highly accomplished scholars and researchers. We recommend that as programs design their HIHP they work in consultation with their schools’ Equity Advisors, who will assist in addressing how the proposed positions might build on and advance the campus's commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels. In addition, the HIHP program has targeted the recruitment of at least one or two high impact scholars whose research focuses on diversity and inclusion. To reinforce the link between our research agenda and continuing development of our graduate programs, special consideration will be given to proposals that strengthen our participation in the Diverse Educational Community and Doctoral Experience Initiative (DECADE).

In response to suggestions from last year, we ask people who intend to submit a new proposal to first develop pre-proposals as described below. (Those who applied to this program last year may resubmit their earlier proposal according to the process indicated below.) This call for pre-proposals and resubmissions is meant to encourage the broadest level of participation from all areas of campus while placing the smallest burden on proposers. The Academic Planning Group (APG) will review the pre-proposals to assess whether the nominee meets the high standard of quality and impact that is required for appointment through this initiative; and whether the nominee's potential, in conjunction with the proposed cluster, is likely to advance the University's standing in strategically significant ways. Based upon these criteria, we will select a subset of pre-proposals and ask the initiators to develop full proposals. Instructions for full proposal development will be provided at that time.

Nominations may be submitted by individual faculty, groups of faculty, department chairs, center or institute directors, and academic deans.

The fall 2014 call for proposals will consider:

1. New two-page pre-proposals are due to provost@uci.edu by November 20. See the attached form for questions you need to address. Proposers will be informed in early December of the APG’s response to their pre-proposals and whether or not it encourages the development of a full proposal. Full proposals will be due January 15, 2015.
2. Pre-proposals are not required if you plan to revise and/or simply resubmit a proposal submitted last year. In that case please send an email to provost@uci.edu by November 20 indicating your intent; resubmissions of prior proposals are due January 15, 2015.

Any questions about this process should be directed to Judith Stepan-Norris, Vice Provost for Academic Planning, at jstepann@uci.edu.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in helping us identify and recruit this new group of outstanding faculty leaders.

Michael P. Clark
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor