Definition: A Curators' Distinguished Professorship is the highest and most prestigious academic rank awarded by the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri. It is awarded to a select few outstanding scholars with established reputations. Each Curators' Distinguished Professor becomes a resource of the entire University and should be expected to contribute to the entire University through such activities as giving lectures on other campuses and engaging in teaching and research across divisional lines. Appointment to a Curators' Distinguished Professorship includes an honorarium for salary and research support. Appointments are for five years, renewable at the discretion of the Chancellor.
The Board of Curators appoints Curators'Distinguished Professors on the recommendation of the Chancellor. Faculty members and deans may nominate faculty members for appointment. Deans present the provost an electronic portfolio (use template below) containing a narrative of nominee's accomplishments, the nominee's curriculum vitae, letters from nominators, and testimonial letters from UMKC peers and prominent external evaluators.The Provost solicits the advice of a panel of current Curators' Professors who evaluates each portfolio and compares each with the records of other outstanding faculty members in their acquaintance. With the advice of the panel, the Provost reviews each nomination and recommends it to the Chancellor or, declining to approve, returns it to the nominator. The Chancellor may accept or reject a nomination. If approved, the Chancellor forwards a recommendation and the portfolio to the President of the UM System who, if approving, presents the candidate for approval by the Board of Curators.
Curators' Distinguished Professorship Nomination Materials should include (in this order):
The process for appointing faculty members to Curators' Teaching Professorships (formerly known as Distinguished Teaching Professorships) is virtually the same except that smaller sums are awarded for salary and research.
Curators' Distinguished Teaching Professorship Nomination Materials should include: