Dear Colleagues,
We hope that your classes are going smoothly. We write to bring to your attention —especially if you are new to Colgate — to two institutional resources that might be of interest as you plan your teaching and/or research for this academic year.
First, the Sylvia Ellins Fund for the Teaching and Learning of Diversity which is administered by the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED). Established in 2005 by Trustee Howard A. Ellins ’73, the Sylvia Ellins Fund is a permanent endowment fund created in honor of his mother Sylvia Ellins. In the past, Colgate faculty have applied for these funds for a variety of initiatives, like organizing diversity-related events on campus, presenting or attending conferences on behalf of their department/program to connect with diverse networks of early career scholars, or other initiatives connected to the Colgate DEI Plan.
This year, we particularly invite proposals that would use Ellins Fund money for cross-departmental/program initiatives. Many departments and programs have developed excellent practices, structures, and resources to promote better inclusivity and a healthier community and culture. Other departments and programs could benefit from learning about and implementing these initiatives.
If you would like to propose a cross-departmental/program collaboration, or if you are planning to attend a diversity-related conference or organize a diversity-focused event on campus this fall or spring and are looking for assistance with funding, please submit a proposal to Carolyn Hsu (chsu@colgate.edu). The proposal should include a brief description of the event for which you require funding, and a budget justifying the request for funding. This funding is, of course, limited, and the amount that the OED can offer will depend on the number of suitable requests received by the office in response to this call.
Second, we wanted to remind you early in the semester of Colgate’s Institutional Membership in NCFDD as an excellent resource for navigating the year ahead and/or making time for your research and scholarship. As you may be aware, NCFDD is an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community of faculty, postdocs, and graduate students from more than 300 colleges and universities. Funding for Colgate’s institutional membership is provided by the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty (PDoF).
The NCFDD’s mission is to support faculty at different stages of their careers, including but not limited to, developing research portfolios needed for tenure and promotion. A number of Colgate faculty have had positive experiences with the NCFDD’s 14-Day Writing Challenge, and the next session begins on Nov. 3 (registration closes on Oct. 24). In addition, NCFDD will be offering webinars this semester on How to Engage in Healthy Conflict (Oct. 9), and Building a Strong Peer Community (Oct. 30). The full list of fall 2025 events can be found on the NCFDD website. Please note that, in order to access the NCFDD’s resources, you will need to activate your personal membership, if you haven’t done so already. To claim your membership, please visit this page, select Colgate University from the drop-down list, and follow the instructions on your screen.
Finally, we wanted to alert you that, in spring 2026, the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty will put out a call for applications for up to two spots in NCFDD’s 12-week Faculty Success Program for sessions beginning in the summer of 2026.
If you have any questions about Colgate’s institutional membership in NCFDD, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email at cducomb@colgate.edu or chsu@colgate.edu.
Sincerely,
Christian DuComb
Associate Dean of the Faculty for Faculty Recruitment and Development
Carolyn Hsu
Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity