How to Submit a New Plan

Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund

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Getting Started

Download the New Plan Submission Form from the DPETF Submission Forms page (login required) and rename the file with the institution name/acronym, shortened DP proposed name, and month/year of submission (e.g., “UNCA NAME DP – Sep 2023”)

DPETF Submission Forms (Login Required)

Additional Guidance

College/School of Assignment: Provide if applicable and if required or specified by the donor (e.g., College of Arts and Sciences, School of Medicine, XXX NAMED School of Business, etc.)

  • Leave blank or state “open” if it is open to any college/school within the institution.
  • If specified or required by the donor, provide information on the department/academic unit for this DP; leave blank or write “open/variable” if not specified by the donor and the institution can select based upon need.
  • For example, if a donor provides money to the College of Arts and Sciences and no other provisions, “College of Arts and Sciences” would go in the College/School box. However, if the donor specifies the biology department and even an area of focus (e.g., plant biology), then you would also include “Biology Department, focus area of plant biology” in this section.
  • STEM Requirements
    • Due to the FY24 legislative change, new DPs must be 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.
    • Select appropriate CIP from the dropdown menu.
    • Provide degree program under the selected CIP. This degree program must be listed on the spreadsheet the institution has provided to the UNC System Office.

Academic Rank: The dropdown defaults to “variable.” Select another option if limited. If limited (for example) to professor and associate professor levels, select “variable” and then note those limitations in the Additional Comments/Clarifications box at the end.

  • If the position will be time limited (and not in perpetuity), please include the number of years in the box at the end of that line.
  • The policy recommendation is five years, but that is not a set requirement, and you can ask for shorter or longer periods. If term is limited, check if it is renewable or not.

Check Box on Page 1: For most submissions, the box at the bottom of the first page should be checked. The expectation (per policy) is one member per DP position, and not assigned to an administrative position. If this box is not checked, then an explanation must be provided in the Additional Comments/Clarifications box on page 2. “Exceptional circumstances” must be met, and these do not include donor and/or institutional preferences.

  • We are working to provide clarification to the policy/regulation regarding the administrative levels where a DP could be assigned (e.g., would it be okay for a dept chair/program director IF the DP will spend more than 50% of their time teaching/researching?)
  • As of now, we will entertain dept chair/program director DP positions, but you must “certify” (in the Additional Comments/Clarifications box) that the faculty member assigned to that position is expected to perform normal faculty duties of teaching and research for at least 50% of their time.
  • Per policy, DPs will not be approved for positions of dean/equivalent or above. Note that, by policy, if a DP faculty member is selected for such a position, they can retain the title, but we will not approve a new DP that is tied to an administrative position (e.g., Dean of the Honors College).

For the boxes requiring dollar amounts, the dollar signs and commas are automatic. Enter numbers only. The total initial DPETF level calculates automatically.

  • “Anticipated annual amount” is the expected amount the level of the DP should generate from the investment every year.
    • For example, at current interest rates for a $500k DP, we are seeing estimates between $18k-20k available for use each year.
    • Advancement offices and/or endowment managers should be able to provide these estimates.
  • For the anticipated use of funds, do not include everything that is in the section of the regulation as an allowed use.
    • Look at the annual amount expected annually, and be realistic about how it will be used to support the professor.
    • Ensure uses are specifically for the professor and not to support (generally) the college/school/department.
  • We are not asking for specific dollar amounts or a budget; we want to see a realistic expectation of uses for the funds–especially at the lower two endowment levels.
  • If it doesn’t seem realistic, for example, if too many items listed for the annual amount expected, we will require an explanation, which will slow the approval process.

Check Box on Page 2: You must check the box at the bottom of page 2 or the plan will not be accepted (required by policy).

Submission

When you are ready to submit, click the Submit New Plan 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).
      • When building the PDF, start with the form and then importing the additional documents and sort them into the proper order (chancellor’s cover letter first). Then your final submission will keep the proper name.
    • 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 some of the highlights of the request (name of the DP, level of funding, request for state matching funds).
      • It must be signed.
    • The second item must be the completed Plan Submission Form. 
    • You may include any additional information, such as donor letters or donor agreements. Although optional, having these documents as part of the package will be helpful in the future if you ever have a plan change request and/or the UNC System Office has questions about the particular DP. Attaching them at submission may save work and time later.
    • Click the box if you want a copy of your submission sent to your email.

We realize some of the information is repetitive between the PDF form (the Plan Submission) and the Smartsheets submission form, but the information is needed in both places for different uses.

Approval

UNC System Office personnel are notified automatically of new submissions via Smartsheets, which are date/time stamped. If/when 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 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.