5.8 Guidelines for Endowed Chair Proposals
One goal of the current comprehensive Calvin Campaign is the establishment of endowments for specific faculty positions. These guidelines are offered to define the nature of endowed chairs at Calvin College and also to assist those who develop proposals for such endowments. Since the purposes of endowed chairs vary, it is difficult to establish common guidelines for the chairs. Overall, the chairs should enrich the program of the college and relieve the operating budget. Each chair proposal should address the following issues:
5.8.1 Purpose
The specific purpose(s) for the chair should be clear and these purposes should determine the character of the chair. While the purposes are many and may be specific to a department or donor, following are examples of purposes for which the chairs could be established:
- To honor the life or memory of the person in whose name the chair is established; the nature of the responsibilities should be consistent with that life.
- To bring distinguished scholars or creative artists as visitors to the campus for periods of time ranging from one semester to two years. In such cases, the intended goal of the visiting professor program should be clear and the chair would be designated as the "Visiting Professorship in ..." or "Visiting Artist (Writer) in Residence."
- To honor a distinguished Calvin College professor and provide greater opportunity for that professor to focus on those gifts--teaching, scholarship, or service--that have characterized the distinguishing contribution to the college. chairs intended for this purpose could either be for a limited time, e.g., three years, or could be permanent professorship positions.
- To provide additional time for research and scholarship for current faculty in a department. This would be an endowed research position in a department that could be awarded to different faculty at different stages in their career.
- To attract distinguished faculty to Calvin College. In contrast to "c" above which focuses on distinguished faculty within the college. The remuneration would be at the professor level annual salary plus the equivalent of a summer stipend and the appointee would be granted tenure.
- To enrich the curriculum of the college. The focus of such chairs would be on the curriculum and would have the designation of "Chair in ...." Filling such a chair could be by regular faculty appointment and reappointment.
5.8.2 Budget
The budget for the endowed chairs should be presented in the proposal. More specifically, the budget should recommend the salary schedule placement for the appointee, discretionary budget, and support budget. In addition, the minimum endowment required for the position should be specified. The budget should also address the effect of the endowed chair on both the annual operating budget as well as capital expenses budget (office, computing, etc.).
One goal of the endowed chair policy is to provide relief for the operating budget. The extent to which budgetary relief is provided by the chair should be stated in the proposal. For some chairs, however, the endowment income may not assist with the operating budget. In those cases contributions from the general operating budget should not be expected and the endowment income should be adequate to cover all operating expenses.
5.8.3 Responsibilities
The description of the chair should identify the responsibilities of the appointee in ways that are consistent with the purposes for the chair. In addition to the special responsibilities of the chair, the teaching responsibilities should be stated. Since teaching is a primary responsibility of the Calvin College faculty, all chair holders will be expected to each four course in the regular curriculum of the college or receive an equivalent assignment. An exception to the requirement for teaching will be made in the case of administrative nonfaculty positions.
5.8.4 Qualifications for appointment
In addition to the necessary qualifications for the specific responsibilities of the chair and the professional qualifications for teaching, appointees to endowed chairs should either fulfill the membership qualifications for Calvin College Faculty or, if the chair is for a visiting professorship, the requirements for a visiting faculty member. The latter, while not as clearly established, include a sincere commitment to and understanding of the Christian faith and mission of Calvin College. No restrictions shall be placed on the viewpoints of the holder of the chair beyond those required for membership on the Calvin College faculty.
5.8.5 Term of appointment
Appointment terms may vary depending on the purpose of the chair. Clearly, visiting professorships will be for a limited period while those that are established to bring distinguished faculty to Calvin College will be for an indefinite period. The term of appointment should be consistent with the nature of the chair and approved with consideration of the establishment of the chair. When the appointment extends beyond the initial term, established procedures for evaluation of teaching and scholarship will apply.
5.8.6 Selection
The selection process will follow the normal faculty appointment process. The department(s) in which the chair is located should be joined in their deliberation and voting on candidates by two faculty members (appointed by the divisional dean) from other departments who will represent all-college interests in the special responsibilities designated for the chair. Since the duties of the chairs will include special responsibilities, the Professional Status Committee may seek the advice of committees that oversee the area of special responsibility (e.g., scholarship or teaching) when making recommendations. The appointment of the chair will be recommended to the President by the Professional Status Committee and approved by the Board of Trustees upon the President's recommendation.
5.8.7 Procedures for revisions
Proposals should include the procedures for revision that are found in the endowment agreement to ensure that future changes to the purpose for which the endowment was established follow the agreed upon procedures.
5.8.8 Initiation of chair proposals
Establishment of chairs may be initiated by donors from outside the college or faculty and administrators within the college. In the case of donors, the president will determine the interests of the donor and then enlist assistance of the provost who will in turn work with the appropriate academic dean and department chair in developing a proposal that meets the interests of the donor, fulfills the guidelines for the chairs, and furthers the mission and priorities of the college. In such cases the proposal will be presented to the Professional Status Committee, the Faculty Senate, and the Board of Trustees before accepting the donor's gift.
Proposals for establishing endowed chairs may also be initiated by faculty and staff from within the college. Development of these proposals should be done in cooperation with the academic department, Academic Dean, and Provost. The President and Development office should be informed of the proposal. These should be concept proposals that are approved by the professional Status committee. when a source of endowment funds is identified, the proposal should be completed and processing of the proposal completed including Board of Trustees approval.
5.8.9 Deviation from proposal guidelines
The above normally apply for all endowed chair proposals. In cases where proposals deviate from the guidelines, and explanation and rationale for the deviation should be included in the proposal.
5.8.10 Criteria for evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
- The extent to which they contribute to the distinctive nature of Calvin College and contribute to ensuring that in the the future.
- The extent to which they comport with the mission and strategic plan of the college, i.e., the extent to which they address perceived needs and address strategic opportunities of the college.
- The extent to which they relieve the operating budget.
