The University of Western Ontario has 37 endowed chairs, a number President Amit Chakma says he has identified for significant growth.
“Let’s look at it as an opportunity to fix,” Chakma told Senate last week. “We not only need to fix it for our current needs, but more importantly to sustain this institution and give it more fiscal flexibility.”
Chakma described boosting the numbers as his “dream.” A gift of $3 million is required to fully endow a chair.
“Just imagine if we could create 10 endowed chairs a year. I know it’s difficult, probably impossible, but let’s keep on dreaming 10 per year,” he says, noting at the end of 100 years, the university could have 1,000 endowed chairs. “So if you aim at 10 and settled at five, you’re still looking at 500 endowed chairs.”
Chakma takes his inspiration from what others have done, for example the University of Toronto, which recently increased the number of endowed chairs substantially over a fundraising period of 10 years.
“So it can be done,” he says. “It takes hard work, it takes time, but it can be done.”
Teaching fellowships open to all
Beginning with this spring’s Fellowship in Teaching Innovation competition, part-time faculty will now be eligible for an award that promotes teaching innovations at Western.
Projects may include initiatives such as incorporation of educational technology into classroom settings or the development of new directions for large group learning. Because innovations can take many forms, the nature of the projects to be considered will not be overly restrictive.
The Fellowship in Teaching Innovation award was created through an endowed gift of $150,000 from Howard Webster Taylor. A further gift of $50,000 by Rosamond Ivey increased the total to $200,000, with an expectation more funds will be raised over time.
Applications for this year’s Fellowship in Teaching Innovation are due by March 1, with decisions made by May 1 to allow the recipient use of the money during the following academic year.