# Faculty Initiative for Improved Recruitment, Retention, and Experience (FIIRRE)

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · 2024 · $5,406

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
In response to RFA-RM-21-025 (Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation, FIRST), the
University of South Carolina (USC)’ s team has developed the Faculty Initiative for Improved Recruitment,
Retention & Experience (FIIRRE) using a systems science informed multi-level approach. FIIRRE aims to: (1)
Develop, cultivate, and implement institutional programs and practices that become self-reinforcing in
promoting inclusive excellence; (2) Achieve significant and sustainable institutional culture change that
supports inclusive excellence; (3) Recruit, nurture, and retain a cohort of ten new tenure-track Assistant
Professors who are committed to inclusive excellence; and (4) Collaborate with other FIRST awardees and the
FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center in this multi-center initiative. The 10 tenure-track faculty will
constitute the FIRST cohort at USC and will be recruited as a cluster hire within the area of health disparities
and equity research. The FIIRRE Administrative Core, Faculty Development Core, and the Evaluation Core
serve complementary purposes in support of these overarching aims. Initiated by two of USC’s leading health
science units, the Arnold School of Public Health and the College of Nursing, FIIRRE serves as an incubator
and facilitator of institutional change. FIIRRE leadership is varied in race/ethnicity, academic rank, nationality,
and institutional history, with over a decade of experience working together in research and administrative
capacities, helping to ensure FIIRRE’s success. Strong existing connections with established diversity
initiatives on campus will help complement and bolster FIIRRE goals, as will the unwavering institutional
commitment to inclusive excellence by USC’s leadership.
Through this supplemental application, funds are requested to support USC’s current and future FIRST Faculty
the opportunity to attend the FIRST Annual Grantees Meetings, which is a gathering of FIRST MPIs, program
staff, NIH staff, and FIRST Faculty. The goals for FIRST Faculty attendance are to increase collaboration and
community among FIRST Faculty, foster an inclusive nationwide network among the faculty and support their
professional development. In its original application, USC did not budget for FIRST faculty travel and lodging to
the FIRST Annual Grantees Meeting.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11012427
- **Project number:** 3U54CA272171-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Tisha Felder
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $5,406
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11012427

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11012427, Faculty Initiative for Improved Recruitment, Retention, and Experience (FIIRRE) (3U54CA272171-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11012427. Licensed CC0.

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