UB’s new faculty hires for the 2023-2024 academic year are primarily going to be placed in STEM and health science related fields, according to a copy of UB’s plan obtained by The Spectrum through a Freedom of Information request.
The hirings come in addition to UB’s normal faculty hiring and are funded by a $12.1 million New York State investment as part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s faculty hiring plan.
The governor’s plan emphasizes investing in faculty to increase federally funded research, which is primarily focused on STEM and health science fields, according to university spokesperson John Della Contrada.
The governor’s proposal will allocate $53 million for hiring new full-time faculty at over 30 SUNY Campuses.
UB plans to use the money allocated to them by the governor to hire 70 more faculty in addition to its annual 40-60 tenure track hires.
The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (JSMBS), The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the School of Engineering (SEAS) received the most funding for faculty hires.
JSMBS is set to receive $2.4 million for 16 new faculty hires, while SEAS will be given $2.260 million for 15 new faculty. CAS will receive $2.203 million for 15 new faculty.
The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is receiving $660,00 for three new faculty hires.
The School of Law is receiving $250,000 for two faculty hires, and the School of Management is getting $495,000 for two faculty hires.
The Graduate School of Education is getting $295,000 for two new faculty hires, while the School of Public Health and Health Professions will get $450,000 for three new faculty hires. The School of Social Work and School of Nursing are set to receive one new faculty hire each.
The percentage of new tenure-track faculty hires from “underrepresented” backgrounds increased from around 7% in 2017 to around 35% in 2022, Della Contrada said. In 2022, 9.5% of all faculty came from “underrepresented backgrounds,” compared to the 73.6% of faculty who were white, according to the university factbook. 8.9% of all tenure-track faculty came from underrepresented backgrounds in 2022.
“The university will continue to advocate for diverse pools in all searches as we pursue our commitment to double the number of underrepresented faculty between 2020 and 2025,” Della Contrada said. “To enable their inclusion and success, students should see themselves reflected in their faculty mentors and role models.”
The wider range of perspectives and experiences brought about by increasing faculty will lead to “enhanced research and innovation, more effective teaching and mentorship and wider impacts on our local, national and global communities,” Della Contrada said.
UB’s complete faculty allocation plan can be viewed here.
Victoria Hill is the senior news editor and can be reached at victoria.hill@ubspectrum.com
Kiana Hodge is a news editor and can be reached at kiana.hodge@ubspectrum.com
