UChicago Faculty Kick Off the Academic Year with Ivy+ Peers

October 22, 2025

  • The 2025-26 cohort of Ivy+ FAN Fellows and Vice Provost Waldo Johnson at the kick-off meeting of the Faculty Voice & Collaborative Leadership Institute at Dartmouth in September 2025.

    Five UChicago faculty who hold leadership positions in their divisions and schools have been selected for fellowships to build skills in collaborative communication and faculty leadership. They will participate in the Faculty Voice & Collaborative Leadership Institute, organized by the Faculty Advancement Network (FAN), a consortium of national research universities collaborating to advance excellence at scale in the American professoriate.

    The FAN Institute is part of UChicago’s commitment to supporting the professional development of faculty leaders and to building a cohort of faculty engaged in advancing the excellence of the American research university.

    Following the September kickoff at Dartmouth, FAN Fellows will meet virtually throughout the year to network, collaborate, and develop new leadership tools. UChicago’s cohort will pursue ideas that advance the University’s commitment to collaborative communication and build leadership strategies to protect and advance the excellence of the American academy. The year ends with a capstone event hosted by Cornell University. 

    Yousef Casewit, Associate Professor of Quranic Studies, Divinity School

    Constantine Nakassis, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Anthropology

    Iris Romero, Professor, Executive Vice Dean of the Biological Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Medicine, Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

    Savas Tay, Professor, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering 

    Eric Slauter, Associate Professor, Deputy Dean of the Humanities Division and Master of the Humanities Collegiate Division, Department of English

    More on the Ivy+ Faculty Advancement Network and FAN Fellowship

    The Faculty Advancement Network (FAN), whose administrative home is UChicago’s Office of the Provost, empowers faculty to interrogate the systems and strategies that shape the academic profession and to understand the difference faculty can make in reshaping it. This year marks the fourth cohort of Ivy+ FAN Fellows from UChicago. The first three cohorts of FAN Fellows can be found here.

    FAN works throughout the year to empower faculty to probe and strengthen their understanding of the foundations of the American research university. Any faculty member, staff member, or administrative leader from FAN member institutions have access to these online sessions. Learn more about the Ivy+ FAN Virtual Colloquia here.