University spends $4.5 million on 'Faculty Diversity Enhancement Program'

Illinois State University (ISU) recently announced that it will be spending $4.5 million to create a Faculty Diversity Enhancement Program. 

The seven-year program includes fives years dedicated to new faculty recruitment, all supported by “university general revenue funds, funds from the Office of the Provost, and matching funds from departments, schools, and colleges,” ISU states on its website. 

This effort is aimed at boosting diversity, equity, and inclusion at ISU. Accordingly, the university states that “[f]aculty who are a part of this program will advance teaching, scholarly, and creative productivity” in numerous fields, which include “driving social change” and “diversifying disciplinary fields.” 

[RELATED: $75 million equity strategy includes 40 new faculty hires to ‘diversify’ campus]

Faculty participating in the initiative “will be eligible to receive a maximum of $20,000 per year for a total of three years through the initiative,” according to the university. 

In an interview with local news, ISU Professor Edward Mooney said that the school’s diverse student body is “evidence that we want our teachers to think differently and know different ways of teaching.” 

Campus Reform reached out to ISU for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.