External Affairs :: Policies & Procedures

When establishing an endowed chair or professorship, several steps must be followed prior to the search of a faculty member to the position:

1. Once funding has been gifted/pledged from a Donor, an email should be sent to Jennifer Gary Hancock (jgary@uga.edu) in the Office of Financial Services with the following information:
   1. Fund Name
   2. Benefitting Department
   3. Purpose of the Fund
   4. Benefitting entity
   5. Amount of Fund: Specify if the fund will be fully funded upon establishment of the fund or if it will be a pledge. If it is a pledge, please specify the number of years the pledge will be complete (not to exceed 5 years).
   6. Designation: i.e. Distinguished Chair, Professorship, etc.
2. The Office of Financial Services will establish the fund in the specified Foundation and prepare the fund agreement for review by the donor, department head, and Dean/Vice Presdient. Keep in mind that Financial Services is only the funding source for the Chair/Professorship and has no authorization to approve the establishment of the position.
3. ESTABLISHMENT WITH BOARD OF REGENTS: The UGA Office of Faculty Affairs is responsible for processing requests for establishment of the endowed chair/professorship with the Board of Regents. This step is required prior to the search of a faculty member. (Please note that Financial Services has no part in the Regents establishment or special appointment of endowed chairs/professorships.)
   1. To initiate the BOR establishment of the chair/professorship, submit a letter from the VP or Dean to the Provost c/o Office of Faculty Affairs, 202 Franklin House, Campus Mail requesting the Board of Regents to establish the chair/professorship. Below are suggested components that should be included in the letter of request:
      1. Paragraph 1:  (Name of School/College) has completed arrangements for the funding of the (official name of the chair/professorship- this must be consistent to the name provided to the Foundation) and requests approval for the formal establishment of the Chair/Professorship with the Board of Regents.
      2. Paragraph 2:  Summary information on the Chair/Professorship (funder, honoree, why established, etc).  State that the Chair/Professorship is supported by and endowment of (insert amount of endowment, current minimum is $250,000 for a Professorship).  BOR also requires that you also provide biographical information on the Donor(s).
      3. Paragraph 3:  Include more information on the Chair/Professorship-where the Chair/Professorship will be housed, purpose of the Chair/Professorship, duties of the appointed professor (e.g. briefly describe instruction, research, &/or service roles), how candidate will be identified (search or internal appointment).
      4. Paragraph 4:  Request that the Provost submit the request to the Board of Regents for Approval.
      5. After the Provost approves the request, the Office of Faculty Affairs will work with the Provost and the President to send the request and verification of funds to the Board of Regents.  The establishment of all endowed chairs/professorships must be placed on the Board agenda and approved by BOR.  Please note that the special appointment of a faculty member to the chair/professorship will also require BOR administrative approval to place the item on the Board agenda for final approval.
      6. Contact the Office of Faculty Affairs at 706-542-0547 if you have any questions about the establishment or appointment process.
4. Once Faculty Affairs notifies Financial Services that the establishment has been approved by the Board of Regents, the fund will become active in the Foundation's system. Please note, a spending budget for the position will not be calculated until the Chair/Professorship is approved by the BOR and the funds have been invested for twelve months.
5. It is also the responsibility of the School/College to seek approval from the Board of Regents on any upgrades of these positions (i.e. Professorship to Distinguished Professorship, etc). These requests must be approved by Board of Regents prior to increasing the designation of the position.
6. Once the appointment has been made, the following information should be sent to both Faculty Affairs and Financial Services:
   1. Name of Incumbent
   2. Appointment Date