Between 2010 and 2015, funding for over a hundred new faculty lines was identified and allocated by the Provost and Executive Vice-President.  Each group of positions comprised a specific Provost's Hiring Initiative tied to an intended outcome, and was identified by the academic year in which the searches to fill those positions were conducted.  

2014-15 Provost's Hiring Initiative

The most recent Provost's Hiring Initiative occurred during academic year 2014-15.  OSU's commitment to success for all students makes it imperative for the university to hire, retain, and develop faculty to mentor and educate students from entry through graduation and beyond, and OSU's Strategic Plan 3.0 articulated strategies critical to advancing and equalizing student success.  The Provost designed the 2014-15 hiring initiative to support these strategies and hiring in a new way that would advance faculty diversity.

Because student growth had been uneven and there were growing demands for additional faculty in certain disciplinary areas, the Provost allocated 30 positions to reflect recent growth.  In addition to advancing and equalizing student success, hires through this initiative were expected to advance OSU's signature areas of distinction.  The Provost also set aside an additional ten positions to focus on growth or enhancement of specific disciplinary areas of strategic importance to the university.

In May of 2014, a call for proposals was sent to the university community describing the purpose and structure of the initiative, its relationship to OSU's strategic plan, and requirements for proposals. Proposals were approved on the condition that specific initiative requirements be met in the position announcement, search committee make-up, and search process, and that colleges receiving these position develop broader programs that would align with expectations of the new faculty members and share accountability for initiative goals across the faculty.