The Faculty-Driven Initiative empowers faculty to design and implement creative, department-based programs that strengthen the University of Minnesota’s community of faculty and instructors. This initiative supports targeted solutions that respond to the unique needs, opportunities, and aspirations of individual academic departments. Funding is awarded to proposals that clearly articulate how planned programming will enhance instructional quality, increase research productivity, improve student outcomes, and/or advance faculty development. This initiative allows for flexible use of funds—supporting activities such as professional development workshops, writing and research groups, mentoring programs, pedagogical innovation, and other efforts that support faculty and instructors.
The Faculty-Driven Initiative advances Elevate Extraordinary 2030 by fostering inclusive, collaborative communities of scholars and supporting continuous improvement at the departmental level. The award contributes to Imperative One by enhancing learning environments and reinforcing the University’s commitment to innovative teaching, and scholarship and shared responsibility for an academic community where all can thrive.
Faculty Driven Proposals
Application Opens: February 19, 2026
Application Deadline: April 1, 2026
Decisions will be released on April 30, 2026
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
A proposal should be innovative and creative, have a broad faculty community impact, and focus on collaborative experiences. They should include information related to the six areas below. If a proposal does not address all six areas listed below, it may not be reviewed.
- Motivation for the programming:
- Clearly identifies the challenge, opportunity, or need being addressed
- Describes alignment with department and/or college strategic priorities
- Explains how the program contributes to a positive campus climate (e.g., belonging, inclusion, engagement across difference), informed by the 2023 DEI Campus Climate Survey where relevant
- Anticipated community-building outcomes
- Target audience
- Plans for sustainability
- Predicted participation numbers
- Program Leadership and Capacity
Eligibility
All faculty employed at the University of Minnesota are eligible to apply for these funds.
Faculty Driven Awardees
2023 - 2024 Academic Year
Spring 2024
Nida Sajid
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Sun Seekers: Exploring Climate Change and Social Justice Through Opera
Cat Saint-Croix
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Twin-Cities Untenured Philosophers Working Group
Nisha Botchwey
Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
UMN Black Faculty Community Building Initiative
Stephen Ahearne-Kroll
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Making Mythology: Constructing Community in the Classroom
Fall 2023
Arshia Kahn
University of Minnesota Duluth
Networking and Computing: Creating opportunities for low income students to succeed in computing careers
Victoria Vargas
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Mentoring Future Musicians Program
2022 - 2023 Academic Year
SPRING 2023
Amy Collins-Warfield
University of Minnesota Rochester
Improving CLI 1000 First-Year Seminar Outcomes through Faculty Development
Devaleena Das
University of Minnesota Duluth
Health-Equity Advocacy & Love (HEAL)
Amy Lee
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Anti-Racist Feedback on Student Work and Writing
Allison Shaw
College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
DEIJ Data and Policy Working Group
David Wilsey
Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Toward Decolonizing Development Practice Education: A Self-Study of the Master of Development Practice (MDP)
FALL 2022
Tasoulla Hadjiyanni
College of Design, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Decolonizing Interior Design History Courses
Karen Painter
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Musical Intersectionality
Amanda Sharp
Medical School, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training for Physical Therapy Associated Faculty
Emilie Snell-Rood
College of Biological Science, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Adaptive Equipment to Increase Accessibility of Field Work
2021 - 2022 Academic Year
SPRING 2022
Adriana Dhawan
Medical School, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Supporting hospitalist-led quality improvement projects in diversity
Teresa Fong
Dental School, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Building Relationships - Improving our Department
Adriana Dhawan
Medical School, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Supporting hospitalist-led quality improvement projects in diversity
Richard Lee
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Supported Opportunities for Undergraduates in Psychological Research (SOUPR)
Malinda Lindquist
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Transformational Conversations: Mobilizing and Driving a Just University - ODEI Words to Work Book Club and Conversation Series
Stefanie Marshall, Bhaskar Upadhyay
College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Democratizing Teacher Education: Creating Systems and Policies for Social Justice and Equity
Keith Mayes
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Transformational Knowledge: Mobilizing and Driving a Just University - RIDGS Faculty Keynote Series
Karen Painter
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
New Sounds, New Communities: BIPOC Must at the U of M
2020 - 2021 Academic Year
SPRING 2021
Insoon Han
University of Minnesota Duluth
Honorarium
Kat Hayes
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Addressing Anthropology's Colonial Legacy within Our Own Community
Patricia Klein
College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Educating and Community Building in the Department of Mathematics
Crystal Ng
College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Confronting Colonialism in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
David Odde
College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Recognizing CSE Staff Contributions to Diversity & Inclusivity
FALL 2020
Edgar Arriaga
College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Identifying Systemic Barriers Experienced by Women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and First Generation Students in Chemistry Courses
Karen Davalos
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Celebrating 50 Years of Chicanx/Latinx Community-Engaged through the Arts
Andrew Elfenbein
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
English Undergraduate BIPOC Focus Group
Amy Lee
College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Inclusive Excellence as a Framework for Equity-Centered Pedagogy in the First Year Writing Program
Catherine Squires
Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
BIPOC Mini-symposium for Probationary BIPoC Faculty
SUMMER 2020
Craig Hassel
College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Science, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Networking for a Food Sovereignty Minor
Glenn Simmons
University of Minnesota Duluth
COVID-19 Municipal Wastewater surveillance and testing
Andrea Westby
Medical School, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Creating and Implementing Anti-Oppression, Reproductive Justice, Stuctural Competency and Cultural/Structural Humility Curriculum
Spring 2019
SPRING 2019
Sehoya Cortner
College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Broadening Perspectives on Diversity: A workshop to stimulate faculty discussion of inclusivity from multiple lenses
Insoon Han
University of Minnesota Duluth
Faculty of Color United to Support Research (FOCUS Research) Group
Amy Lee
College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Inclusive Excellence as a Framework for First Year Writing Program
Maria Ruud
Nursing School, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Health History Skills Development for Interprofessional Learners in Transgender and Non-Binary Populations
Amanda Sullivan
College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
EPSY Educational Equity Writing Group