Provost's Investment Fund
Updated 02:30 p.m. September 14, 2026
The initiatives below are made possible through the Provost’s Investment Fund. These are designed to support the implementation of the Academic Success Goals that serve as foundational guidance in advancing our strategic imperatives.
Transdisciplinary Strategic Cluster Hire Program
The Office of the Provost and the Office of Research and Partnerships invite proposals for strategic faculty cluster hires. These proposals should align with the university’s strategic imperatives and academic success goals. Proposals should address one or more of the five strategic research initiatives. The Fall 2026 submission period closes on December 14, 2026.
Strategic Priorities Faculty Initiative (SPFI)
The SPFI program provides temporary financial support to academic departments to enable the hire of full-time tenure-track faculty or continuing-track academic professionals. Fall 2026 Cycle Applications Deadlines: September 30, October 30 and November 30.
Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellows Program (PPFP)
This University-wide initiative is designed to recruit outstanding early career postdoctoral scholars whose research advances the university’s mission as a land-grant institution and advances our strategic imperative to engage in research that is innovative, makes a community impact and shapes the future. Applications open: August 31, 2026. Submission deadline: November 4, 2026 at 12 p.m.
Provost's Graduate Interdisciplinary Program (GIDP) Finishing Fellowship
The fellowship provides financial and academic support to help recipients complete their GIDP master’s or doctoral degree during the award period. The nomination session will open September 4, 2026. Deadline to submit the maximum nominations per eligible GIDP is November 1, 2026
Scholarly Engagement Fund
Managed by the Office of the Provost, this new fund supports units in hosting scholarly activities such as conferences, symposia, workshops, speaker series, and poster sessions. Funding is limited to hosting and does not cover professional development or individual travel to external conferences. Requests of up to $5,000 will be considered. Rolling deadlines: September 1, 2026, December 1, 2026, February 1, 2027 and April 1, 2027.
Provost's Investment Fund Reports
The Office of the Provost reports the number of funding requests received and funded per submission period, along with total expenditures from the Fund. Descriptions of funded projects and programs and the amounts awarded per unit are also provided. Funded projects must submit a final report at completion, while multi-year awards require annual progress updates at each fiscal year end. Past reports and awardee information are available online.