ADMINISTRATIVE CORE―ABSTRACT The Administrative Core (AdminCore) will drive the mission of the NURTURE: Northwestern University Recruitment to Transform Under-Representation and achieve Equity Program. It will provide the administrative support and leadership necessary to accelerate transformative institutional change at Northwestern University (NU) that fosters a culture of inclusive excellence. We will recruit and hire a cohort of 15 exceptional early-career, tenure-track faculty from underrepresented groups (URGs). The AdminCore will guide and support activities of the Faculty Development Core and deploy structures that will support our new faculty. The AdminCore will also ensure the seamless integration of the Faculty Development Core and Evaluation Core, which will assess the efficacy of NURTURE and its constituent components, using those assessments to adapt as needed to maximize outcomes. Finally, the AdminCore will serve as the interface between NURTURE and FIRST Cohort programs across the US. The AdminCore has three MPIs who are leaders and role models in research excellence with commitments to, and outstanding track records in, fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion, mentorship, and program administration. These leaders will coordinate a governance structure containing a diverse group of administrative, scientific, and professional development leaders within NURTURE, senior NU administrators, and an External Advisory Committee. We will leverage the collective expertise and guidance provided by this structure, along with the MPIs’ experience, to continuously evolve NURTURE to improve operations, implementation of structural change elements, faculty support, communications, and fiscal management. The AdminCore will oversee the achievement of NURTURE’s overall goals through the following Specific Aims: Aim 1: Provide overall administrative management for NURTURE activities, ensuring integration, coordination, collaboration, and fiscal administration. Aim 2: Conduct strategic planning for promoting inclusive excellence at NU and cluster hiring in the Scientific Neighborhoods of NURTURE: (1) Brain, Mind, and Behavior; (2) Cancer; and (3) Cardiovascular, which will each support a transdisciplinary theme of “Cells to Community,” in part, to promote higher valuation of community-related research across NU. Aim 3: Oversee faculty recruitment strategies and procedures for the cluster hiring of 15 outstanding early-career, tenure-track URG faculty. A central goal will be to transform processes for recruitment of qualified applicants and selection of competitive finalists based on a commitment to inclusive excellence and synergy with existing institutional research strengths and resources, ensuring that all new faculty hires have a supportive, scientifically nurturing environment in which to launch successful independent research programs. Aim 4: Coordinate with the Faculty Development Core to provide resources for career progression and retent...