Distinguished Professors

Welcome

One of many examples of excellence at the University of Kansas is the institution of Named and University Distinguished Professors. This program highlights the best in scholarship and teaching at the University of Kansas, and acts as a conduit for those who might wish to know more about the preeminent professors on all of KU's campuses.

Council of Distinguished Professors

In 1980, all University and Named Distinguished Professors at KU and KUMC were organized as Council to discussion issues concerned with improving and promoting research and scholarly excellence at the University. The Council elects a six-person Steering Committee to serve as an intermediary between the University Administration and the Distinguished Professors. The Steering Committee meets annually with the Chancellor, the Provost, various Deans and Directors, as well as representatives from the Board of Regents, the Endowment Association, and other stakeholders to discuss issues of concern affecting graduate education, research infrastructure, and faculty recruitment and retention.

The 2011-2012 members of the Steering Committee are:

Joint Council of Kansas Distinguished Professors

Over 100 active faculty at the three research universities of Kansas - Kansas State University, the University of Kansas, and Wichita State University - share the honor of being known as distinguished professors, the highest academic rank. Their remarkable research efforts and the publications and graduate teaching those efforts support earned them this special recognition. On their campuses and within the state's scholarly community, they are recognized as educational leaders who have achieved excellence as scholars and as researchers.

In 1997, the state's distinguished professors formed the Joint Council of Kansas Distinguished Professors. Given their leadership roles within the scholarly community, it seemed only fitting that they also work together as an unofficial group of advisors to their campus colleagues and to the state's policy makers. Meeting together, they explore ways in which they can advance research and scholarship, can help guide the state's higher education policies, and can encourage ongoing investment in the three research universities of Kansas.

Committed to research, scholarship, and excellence in teaching, the Joint Council has taken a position on 4 issues that will dramatically affect the future of higher education in Kansas and the quality of that education.

Issues of Support

• Investment in Graduate Education and Research
  
  Research universities prepare the next generation of scholars and researchers. Investments in graduate programs through scholarships, assistantships, and fellowships are vital for creating an active climate of scholarship and inquiry, for conducting robust research, for enriching undergraduate experiences, and for recruitment of high quality faculty.
• Quality Information Technology
  
  Modern research requires a modern infrastructure for information technology and telecommunications, access to national and international high-speed computing networks, secure mobile computing, and innovative tools for modeling, analysis, and data management. It is essential that we keep pace with technological needs affecting all areas of research and scholarship.
  
  Modern libraries include electronic databases and publications along with special collections of books, journals, and historical materials. It is essential that our research libraries keep pace with rising costs to not only maintain but also build collections critical to faculty research and scholarship.
• Attract and Retain Outstanding Faculty
  
  Top-level research is conducted by top-level academic scholars. Faculty sallies and research/teaching infrastructure must be commensurate with competitive levels in order to attract and retain outstanding faculty.
• State Support for Faculty Positions of Distinction
  
  The Kansas Partnership for Faculty of Distinction program encourages private donors to help attract and retain professors of distinction. Specifically the program provides state funds to match the annual payout from a private endowment created to fund a faculty position. With this program, Kansas joined many other states in establishing an incentive program for the creation of endowed professorships.
  
  We commend the Kansas Board of Regents and the State Legislature for making this excellent investment in the future of the state.
  
  We recommend that each research university set a goal of having 10 percent of its faculty in positions of distinction.