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Curators Distinguished Professor

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The highest and most prestigious academic rank

Curators’ Distinguished Professorships and Curators' Distinguished Teaching Professorships

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.

Current and Past Curators' Distinguished Professors

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):

  • Nomination/Cover Letter
  • A 2-3 page statement prepared by the nominee or a colleague that identifies the primary contributions of the individual and provides a perspective so that non-experts in the field might understand the significant importance of the work (this statement is particularly helpful to the committee in reviewing the nominations).
  • Supporting letters including evaluations of candidate’s work by prominent people knowledgeable in the field
  • Examples (limited to two or three) of nominee’s finest work.
  • Nominee’s curriculum vitae

 

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:

  • Nomination/Cover Letter
  • Supporting letters must include opinions of prominent people in the nominee's discipline
    Nominee's personal philosophy of teaching statement (2-3 pages), including how research and service are reflected in teaching
  • List of courses taught (include syllabi)
  • Summarization of all course evaluation data (separate for each course, include departmental norms, multiple sources and method of solicitation but no raw data)
  • Other supportive materials
  • Nominee's curriculum vitae

Submission:  Nomination Materials must be submitted electronically as one combined PDF file document (which requires Adobe Professional Software (version 8.0 or higher). Nominations will be presented to the Board of Curators for consideration twice a year (February and September). Policy Reference:  CRR 320.070 Academic Appointments (See Section C. Curators’ Professorships and Section D. Curators’ Teaching Professorships)