How to Change an Existing Plan

Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund

Back to Faculty Resources

Getting Started

Use these instructions to make changes to existing, approved Distinguished Professorships (DPs), where state matching funds have been sent to the institution and the DP is listed in the institution’s DP matrix, or DPs with approved plans in the DP queue, where the institution has a letter from the UNC System Office noting plan approval, placement in the queue, and a status of awaiting state matching funds.

Download the Plan Change Request Form from the DPETF Submission Forms page (login required) and rename the file with the institution name/acronym, short DP identifying name and “Plan Change Request” (e.g., “UNCA NAME DP Plan Change Request”).

DPETF Submission Forms (Login Required)

Additional Guidance

Distinguished Professorship Complete Name: Enter the current, approved, full DP name (per the plan establishment).

  • Check any/all applicable boxes. If requesting a change to the DP name, use the “Other” box and provide an explanation.
  • STEM Requirements
    • Due to the FY24 legislative change, state matching funds can only be sent to DPs in qualified STEM fields. The UNC System CAO sent out a memo (“Guidance on Changes to…[DPETF]” on October 3, 2023). That memo identified 11 two-digit CIP codes that qualify.
    • If the institution is changing the DP and not asking for additional funds (not an upgrade to an existing DP), the change can be approved, to include changing the DP to a non-STEM area.
    • If the institution has received additional private funding and is requesting state matching funds to upgrade the DP (e.g., from a $500k DP to a $1M DP), then the change to the DP must be in an approved STEM CIP and degree program. The institution must select the qualifying CIP from the dropdown menu and must input the degree program. The degree program must be listed on the spreadsheet the institution has provided to the UNC System Office.
  • The box at the bottom must be checked for plan change consideration.

Submission

When you are ready to submit, click the Submit Plan Change Request button on the DPETF Plan Forms page (login required), and complete the form.

  • Note the required PDF attachments, but please consolidate them into one PDF, and name as above (same as the form).
  • The first item in the PDF should be a letter from the chancellor (on letterhead) addressed to the UNC System president.
    • It should be very short and address the highlight(s) of what, specifically, is being changed and note that you have the approval of the donors.
    • It must be signed.
  • All plan change requests must have a letter/correspondence from the donors/donor’s estate, etc. specifically approving the change.
    • If the donors are no longer available and/or no family/executors/etc. can be found, include a letter from your institution’s General Counsel stating what was done to find the donor, that they could not be contacted, and why this change should be completed without specific donor approval.
    • We hope these cases will be rare, but the UNC System General Counsel will review the request and advise us on approval recommendation decision.

Approval

UNC System Office personnel are notified automatically of plan change submissions via Smartsheets, which are date/time stamped. If the change includes an upgrade request for the DP level (and state matching funds), if/when the upgrade is approved, the Smartsheets date will be used to determine the placement in the funding queue.

If there are questions/concerns about the submission, the UNC System Office DPTEF administrator will contact the institution’s identified DPETF contact to discuss the issues and, if applicable, items needed to obtain approval. Depending on the issues, the plan changes may be rejected and require resubmission.

If/when approved, the UNC System Office will send a letter of approval to the institution’s chancellor, CAO, and vice chancellor for development.

  • The email, with the attached approval letter, will courtesy copy the chancellor’s and CAO’s executive assistants and the institution’s DPETF point of contact.
  • Further distributions to other institutional offices are the responsibility of those receiving the email.