Purpose of Appointment
The recognition of outstanding academic contribution to the University is always appropriate and necessary. The addition of the title of "Distinguished Professor" provides an avenue for such recognition that can be awarded to qualified faculty members upon recommendation of their peers and the administration. This special academic title is intended to recognize a limited number of outstanding Professors for whom endowed chairs or professorships are otherwise unavailable.
Nomination and Selection Procedures
Faculty members, departments, or programs may nominate candidate(s) for a Distinguished Professorship to the dean of the academic college in which the nominee is appointed. Nominations should normally be accompanied by three internal (from within IST) letters of support. Recent letters solicited for other purposes, including external letters of evaluation, may be submitted if available.
The dean of the college will appoint a committee of at least three Professors to review nominees and recommend candidates in consultation with the dean. The dean will forward the dossiers of candidates recommended for Distinguished Professorships to the Office of the President. Deans should include letters previously received in support of the nominee, as well as their own letter of endorsement.
Candidates who meet the high standards of excellence reflected in the selection criteria will be designated Distinguished Professors by the President following a recommendation by the Executive Vice President and Provost.
Renewal Procedure
Appointments as Distinguished Professor are made for a period of five (5) years; renewal of the appointment is dependent upon the Distinguished Professor continuing the same high level of performance evident at the time of initial appointment.
The dean of the college will appoint a committee of at least three Professors to review existing Distinguished Professors. This committee will recommend to the dean whether the appointment be continued or discontinued.
Process/Timeline
- August 15: Distinguished Professors who are completing entering their fifth year will be notified that they will be considered for renewal during the upcoming academic year.
- September 15: Candidates for renewal submit a complete CV and a narrative summarizing their contributions and accomplishments since their most recent appointment/renewal as a Distinguished Professor.
- October 1: Materials are delivered to the college selection committee.
- November 15: The college selection committee forwards recommendations to the dean.
- January 15: Distinguished Professor reappointments are announced.
Draft of Letter that Could be Sent to IST Faculty
Dear NAME:
It is again time to consider the awarding of a Distinguished Professorship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
Note that while these positions primarily honor distinguished scholarship, we strongly favor those faculty who also contribute to the department and college's mission in other ways through outstanding graduate advising, undergraduate teaching, and program leadership.
To submit a nomination for a Distinguished Professor, please submit a vita and letter of recommendation for your nomination to Shannon Bishop (seg120@psu.edu) by September 15.
In your nomination, please highlight the critical features of a case that make it compelling beyond the strong scholarship and teaching we expect of senior faculty, recognizing that the committee is reviewing faculty nominated from across the college. What national recognition and awards have the candidate(s) received? Do they have a strong fellowship or grant record? How have their publications influenced the direction of the field? What are their citation counts, and how does this compare with top scholars in the field? Please forward nominations only for your most deserving faculty. Do think strategically about this opportunity.
Please do not inform candidates that you are nominating them. This will avoid any possible negative effect if they are not chosen. Note on your nomination the titles for which you would like your nominee considered. Please send no more than two nominations.
The Dean will appoint a committee of named and distinguished professors to review the nominations and make recommendations to me. Dr. Name will chair the committee. We will constitute the committee after seeing where nominations come from so we can avoid, to the extent possible, departmental colleagues ranking their colleagues against others.
Sincerely,
Andrew L. Sears
Dean
Created by Karen Brewster: 10/30/2019
Approved by Dr. Andrew Sears: 5/26/2020
Revised with new dates and contact information (SB): 12/10/2021