University of Calgary to hire 100 new professors

Accelerated hiring program continues university’s momentum

The University of Calgary will hire 100 new professors over the next two years to revitalize and broaden teaching, research and scholarship across the institution.

“We are achieving significant progress on our Eyes High journey to become one of Canada’s top five research universities and we want that momentum to continue,” says President Elizabeth Cannon. “The key to our success is providing a high-quality education to students, delivered by excellent professors, as well as continuing our research and scholarship to address the world’s most challenging problems. This academic renewal program is an investment in our future and will accelerate the hiring of new professors across our institution.”

Some of the new hiring will be in seven important multi-disciplinary “cluster” areas: Aboriginal, Sustainability, Energy, Computer Simulations and Analytics, Leadership and Entrepreneurship, Mental Health, and Genomics. These areas align with the university’s Academic Plan and Strategic Research Plan, and are key areas of focus for teaching and research. Twenty-five of the positions will be additional tenure-track hires in the Cumming School of Medicine, to build on the school’s success as a teaching and research powerhouse. The remaining 75 will be accelerated tenure-track hires across the university, and will eventually fill positions that will become vacant through retirement or attrition. Recruiting will begin this year.

“Due to solid financial planning over the last few years, we are able to fund this hiring program both from permanent dollars, and as a one-time “bridging” program from net assets,” said Cannon. “Because most of the new professors will eventually fill positions that are already funded, the university can sustainably finance these new hires going forward.”

This hiring program comes on the heels of the very successful 2013–2014 Rising Stars recruitment program that attracted 50 new assistant professors and more than 80 postdoctoral scholars to the university.

“We are proud to hire new professors to the university who will bring not only innovative teaching, research and scholarship to our students and our community, but also new energy and fresh ideas to drive the economic and social prosperity of our city and province,” added Cannon. “This hiring program is one more step in achieving the University of Calgary’s Eyes High goal to become a global intellectual hub in Canada’s most enterprising city.”

Read more about the 2015 Community Report.

NT5