In an effort to contribute to Stanford’s ongoing commitments to faculty diversity and the study of race and ethnicity, the University has launched the Faculty Development Initiative (FDI) — a five-year plan to appoint at least 10 of the top young scholars in the nation whose research focuses on ethnicity and race.

The introduction of the FDI program follows the commitment of Provost John Etchemendy Ph.D. ‘82 last spring to create 10 incremental faculty positions in the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE), which now consists of more than 100 affiliated faculty members from 15 departments and five schools.

The program involves the collaboration of CCSRE, the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Dean of Humanities and Sciences and the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity,

Special Assistant to the Provost for Faculty Diversity and History Prof. Al Camarillo is leading the initiative. According to Camarillo, the FDI program was created to recognize the achievement of CCSRE, which is in its second decade, in addition to further building its faculty strengths in the study of race and ethnicity and contributing to the University’s efforts to promote diversity among the faculty.

The initiative will be supported by a gift of $2.5 million, as well as another $2 million in a grant from the Hewlett Foundation to the School of Humanities and Sciences. Over the next five years, FDI will create a collaborative environment in which schools and departments will participate in a multifaceted recruitment and appointment project to hire junior and senior faculty in subject areas focusing on issues of race and ethnicity.

An advisory group that consists of senior faculty has been appointed by the Provost and will provide advice and consultation on the initiative. Members of the group will identify outstanding prospects, such as advanced graduate students finishing their doctoral dissertations to assistant and newly tenured associate professors.

“Recruiting faculty prospects is the easier part of the equation for the FDI,” Camarillo said. “Actually getting them to accept offers and to come to Stanford is the more difficult part.”

He added that the incoming faculty will be based in their respective departments and affiliated with CCSRE through their teaching and research.

According to CCSRE and the Office of the Provost, the plan reflects the University’s effort to solidify its standing as the preeminent university in the nation focusing on the comparative study of race and ethnicity.

While the initiative is set for five years, CCSRE officials were reluctant to put a definitive deadline on the hiring process. Since the initiative is operating in an extremely competitive environment with a small pool of scholars, recruiting new faculty will be a timely process.