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Humanities and Social Sciences 
Faculty and Staff Resources

Nomination Procedures: Distinguished Professors and Distinguished University Professors

Follow these guidelines for nominating faculty for distinguished professorships.

  1. Introduction
    1. These guidelines specify criteria and procedures for selecting nominees for Distinguished Professorships and Distinguished University Professorships.
    2. These guidelines do not apply to Named Professorships.
    3. These guidelines supplement NC State REG 05.20.17: Professorships of Distinction. If there is any conflict between the college guidelines and the University regulation, the latter will prevail.
    4. REG 05.20.17 contains the criteria for conferring distinguished professorships. The college will use these criteria to determine whether to nominate a faculty member for this distinction. 
  2. Procedures
    1. The College will, at times determined by the Dean, invite department heads to submit a letter of intent to nominate a faculty member for Distinguished Professor or Distinguished University Professor. This letter will articulate the reasons for the nomination for designation as a Distinguished Professor, or Distinguished University Professor.  At the time the letter is submitted, a copy of the nominee’s CV will be submitted as well. 
    2. The Dean will appoint a review committee consisting of the associate deans and at least one department head.
    3. The review committee will review the letters and will recommend, if any, those that should be nominated at the university level. 
    4. The Dean will provide permission to proceed for the successful nominees. 
    5. Departments invited to proceed with nominations will gather and submit supporting documentation that substantiates an outstanding record of scholarship (as outlined in REG 05.20.17 section 3.1.1.). These documents will include
      1. The department head’s letter and the nominee’s CV, as above. 
      2. Up to ten pages of supporting documentation prepared by the person or persons in the department who proposed the candidate.
      3. letters from three distinguished experts in the candidate’s field attesting to the candidate’s standing and productivity and to the quality and impact of the candidate’s scholarship.
    6. Upon receiving this documentation from the departments, the Dean, as called for in section 4.2 of REG 05.20.17, will recommend the appointment of college faculty to constitute and chair the committee that will make recommendations concerning the nominated candidates to the Provost. The committee recommended by the Dean will have at least five members, a majority of which will be Distinguished Professors. The process will follow that called for in section 4 of the regulation. 
    7. The committee will review the materials provided by the department and will make a recommendation to the Dean. The Dean makes a recommendation to the Provost who then makes a recommendation to the Chancellor. All decisions are final.

Updated November 6, 2023