When it comes to building a top-notch faculty, racing to land prominent scholars is only half the battle for colleges. The other half: Fighting off poachers intent on swiping the college’s existing talented midcareer professors.
At Cornell University, a $35-million gift announced by officials in late September will give the institution an edge in an increasingly competitive market for faculty members. It will be used for endowed professorships to be awarded universitywide. One of these positions has already been used to hold onto a prominent chemist who was being wooed by another Ivy League university.