Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the campus has selected 14 proposed projects to receive a total of more than $5 million in the second round of funding for the Investment for Growth program. The selected projects will allow us to continue succeeding in our mission as our state’s flagship public research university by advancing our scholarly excellence and developing new sources of revenue consistent with our educational and research priorities and objectives.

Among the new projects: a humanities professional resources center, a neurology behavioral assessment laboratory, a Master of Science degree in Management and a program to develop curriculum and training for educators to teach computer science. View the full list of this year’s funded projects here. You can also learn more about the Investment for Growth program here.

Colleges and institutes were invited to submit Investment for Growth proposals with details on funding models, demand and potential impact. The proposals were evaluated by the Campus Budget Oversight Committee, deans and other senior leadership in the spring.

Evaluation criteria included financial feasibility, enhancing the student experience, alignment with industry demand, likelihood of stability, increasing efficiency and, first and foremost, centered on continued excellence across our scholarly missions of teaching, research and public engagement. Many of the proposals have multiple sources of investment, including other internal and external funding, in addition to the Investment for Growth seed money. More than half of the Investment for Growth proposals were chosen for funding.

This year’s proposals represent eight colleges. We expect the next call for proposals, planned for this fall, to encourage even more multi-disciplinary and multi-unit collaborations across campus. If you have an idea for an Investment for Growth proposal, we encourage you to talk to your department head and dean.

Thank you to everyone who worked on a proposal. As we look to our future, we need to continue to be proactive and innovative in our funding model. The Investment for Growth program provides a transparent and strategic opportunity to invest in our future.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor

Andreas Cangellaris
Provost