27
April
2022
|
13:30 PM
America/New_York

Ohio State to recruit 25 research faculty focused on race and equity issues

University has identified half of the 50 positions to be created under RAISE initiative

As part of Ohio State’s expansion of high-impact research, the university will be recruiting additional faculty members focused on addressing how race and equity issues intersect with criminal justice, STEM education, economic opportunity and engagement with urban communities.

This week, the Office of Academic Affairs approved 10 more faculty positions to be created through the RAISE (Race, Inclusion and Social Equity) initiative. In total, the university has approved 25 RAISE positions since the fall — significant progress toward the goal of attracting 50 RAISE research faculty within a decade.

“Our focus on research excellence reflects Ohio State’s land-grant commitment to serve communities,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Melissa L. Gilliam. “As we expand our faculty, Ohio State will be in an even stronger position to provide research-informed insights to address critical societal needs.”

For example, the College of Arts and Sciences, Moritz College of Law and John Glenn College of Public Affairs will be recruiting a cluster of four faculty members focused on police-citizen interactions, prosecutorial and judicial decision-making, and other aspects of the legal system. The interdisciplinary and community-engaged research proposals approved this week are:

  • Advancing Racial and Criminal Justice through Collaborative Science (College of Arts and Sciences, Moritz College of Law and John Glenn College of Public Affairs)
  • Critical STEM fields: Chemistry, Math, and Physics (College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Buckeye Bilingual Speech-Language Program (College of Arts and Sciences)
  • OSU Urban Extension: Equitable Engagement for Equitable Opportunity (College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences)

More information about the approved proposals is available on the RAISE webpage.

The university expects to fill the approved positions by autumn 2023. Searches are also underway for the RAISE research positions approved earlier this academic year, which include focus areas such as cardiovascular health, the impact of climate change and the physical design of communities.

Through the support of U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Congress recently allocated $475,000 in the omnibus appropriations agreement for fiscal 2022 to support the RAISE initiative.

As Gilliam highlighted in her State of Academic Affairs address, RAISE is part of a larger university initiative to add 350 tenure-track faculty within a decade, while also enhancing academic and personal resources to support Ohio State scholars, educators and practitioners through all phases of their careers.

This broader faculty hiring and retention effort includes initiatives such as the Provost’s Tenure-Track Fellow to Faculty Program, the Distinguished Early Career Scholars Program, and the creation of the Office of Dual Careers and Faculty Relocation.

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