Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost

Purpose: A Distinguished Professorship is awarded for exemplary performance in research and/or creative activities as reflected by a national or international reputation in the nominee's discipline.

Eligibility: Nominees should hold the rank of professor and should have served for at least five years prior to current year on the Iowa State University faculty. Recipients must be ISU employees at the time of Fall Convocation.

Nature of award: $3,300 addition to base salary, plus title of Distinguished Professor for remainder of career at Iowa State.

Number of awards: Varies

Criteria: A Distinguished Professor above all else must have accomplishments in research, and/or creative activities that have had a significant impact on, or improved the quality of, their discipline. In addition a Distinguished Professor must have demonstrated outstanding performance in at least one other area of faculty responsibility: (1) teaching and advising, (2) extension/professional practice, or (3) institutional service. Documentation should include testimony from peers both within and outside of the university.

Selection Process: The Distinguished Professor Nomination Review Committee is appointed by the Executive Vice President and Provost following procedures established by the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate Committee on Committees nominates faculty to the Executive Vice President and Provost for membership on the Distinguished Professor Nomination Review Committee. Faculty at the rank of Professor and/or Distinguished Professor will be nominated for seven positions, one representing each college. The Executive Vice President and Provost will appoint three additional members. All members will serve three year, staggered terms. The Distinguished Professor Nomination Review Committee receives nominations for Distinguished Professor from colleges, meets at least once, and makes recommendations to the Executive Vice President and Provost.

Selection committees may recommend that outstanding but unsuccessful award nominations be carried forward for one or, in exceptional cases, two years. Such nominations could be updated if the nominator so chooses, but this is not required. In such cases, the nominators should be notified. Not more than 25% of the unsuccessful nominations may be carried forward.

Guidelines for Submitting Nominations for Distinguished Professorships

1. Complete the Faculty University Award Nomination cover page (DOC) (PDF) and include it as the first page of the nomination packet.

2. Begin with a statement of no more than four pages describing why this person deserves to be named a Distinguished Professor. Cite specific examples of relevant activities, publications, and recognition.

3. Include the nominee's current curriculum vita. It is appropriate here to include a list of former students with information about their current employment or other research activities.

4. Include no more than three statements from the nominee's ISU colleagues who are in a position to comment on her or his teaching and research or scholarship.

5. Include no more than three statements from experts in the nominee's field at other institutions who are knowledgeable about the nominee's work and how it has been evaluated by peers. Include a short (100 words) biography of the expert and state the relationship of the expert to the nominee.

Nominations originate in departments and are reviewed by the college before submission to the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.

Submit fourteen (14) copies of the complete nomination packet to:

Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
1550 Beardshear Hall
Attn: Ruth Birch

no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 25, 2008

Recipients and their department chair and dean are notified in mid-April. Only nominators receive notice of unsuccessful nominations.

Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, 1550 Beardshear Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011-2021
Phone 515-294-9591, Fax: 515-294-8844