Large-Scale Faculty Hiring and Anchor Mission Transformation

Abstract

Anchor mission frameworks often capture urban-serving universities’ commitments to deepen their public impact and engage in their regions but may not center the ways faculty contribute to these results. In this case study, we look closely at Kean University’s recent journey—a rapid transformation from a teaching-focused master’s institution to an R2-designated urban research university through the lens of a large-scale faculty hiring initiative from 2021 to 2025. Using institutional data and a qualitative survey of newly hired faculty, we explore how this influx of new colleagues has shaped research productivity, shifted campus culture, and influenced how faculty connect with the university’s community-focused values. We found not only a dramatic rise in scholarly output and external funding, but also a strong sense of purpose among new hires, who widely believe their work is accelerating Kean’s impact through community engagement, research, and innovation. At the same time, many faculty described challenges: heavy workloads, limited infrastructure, and moments where the university’s ambitions and daily practices didn’t always align. Kean’s experience offers practical lessons for other public, urban universities seeking to balance research growth with authentic community engagement. We highlight the value of open hiring practices, robust faculty development, and coordinated systems that can sustain mission-driven transformation at scale.