Past Recipients

Nomination process

All individuals for this distinction must be nominated by one (or more) faculty or administrator via a single nomination letter. The Selection Committee requests that previous nominations be updated each year, ensuring documentation and materials are current and accurate. Self-nominations are not accepted.

Phase 1 nominations:

1. A cover letter with a brief overview of the candidate’s qualifications for the award.
2. A three-page Summary of Qualifications.  This summary must dedicate one page to discussion of the nominee’s research/creative endeavors, one page to teaching, and one page to public engagement and service activities. The summary should also include the impact of each of these areas on the school/college, university, and/or community. Any nominations not in compliance with this format will be returned to the nominator(s) for revision.
   • To assist in preparing your nomination, the Selection Committee’s criteria are described in the Selection Criteria section of this page. To assist the committee in their review of nominations, please follow the criteria specified in each of the three areas.
3. An updated CV that includes all publications and creative endeavors. Citations for journal articles, books, and other publications should include all authors, full titles, and applicable page numbers. For creative works such as exhibitions, curated exhibitions, performances, and musical compositions, date and venue should be included.

Please send your complete set of first-round nomination materials, as one complete PDF file, to provost@uconn.edu.  The nomination packet should be single spaced, formatted for standard (8.5” x 11”) paper with one-inch margins on all sides, and Times New Roman 12 font.

Deadline: Nominations are due to provost@uconn.edu by 5:00 p.m. on December 4, 2026. 

Phase 2 finalists:

Candidates selected as finalists will be notified of the need to solicit reference letters by January 25, 2027. The deadline for these letters and any other materials requested by the selection committee for this pool of finalists will be March 22, 2027.

Finalists will be asked to submit letters of reference from up to six referees. Normally, no more than two referees should be from close colleagues, collaborators or former students. At least one of the individuals should be qualified to focus on formal teaching and may be an internal UConn reference. The remaining referees should be individuals external to the University, who have a national/international reputation and are familiar with the nominee’s work. No more than six letters will be incorporated into the review file.  Please note that the Committee reserves the right to request additional letters from UConn faculty, department heads, or deans to assist with their deliberations.

The 2025-2026 Awardees will be announced at the June 2026 Board of Trustees meeting, followed by reception in Fall 2026. 

Selection Criteria

The Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor is the highest honor that the University bestows on faculty who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service, outreach, and public engagement. To be eligible, candidates must have attained the rank of Professor.

This award is for faculty who have spent at least 10 years of their career at UConn. Nominees should be actively engaged scholars, who excel in all three areas of teaching, research, and service, outreach, and public engagement. Evidence for these should include the following:

Teaching

• Undergraduate and graduate courses taught during the past seven years (including course title and credit hours for each). The Office of the Provost will acquire Student Experience of Teaching data from the past seven years for all applicants.
• Other evaluations or evidence of excellence in teaching with supporting documentation.
• Data on positions and activities of former graduate students.
• Evidence of national and international presentations.
• Collaborative publications with students or evidence of mentoring.
• Teaching innovations, awards, and special recognitions.

Research and Creative Works

• Outstanding scholarly productivity and creative works demonstrated by an international or national reputation in his/her field.
• Evidence of engagement in scholarship (e.g., ongoing research, conference presentations, seminars, lectures, scholarly publications).

Service, Outreach, and Public Engagement

• Service to the University and outreach to the community, the state, and at the national and international level, including service to the candidate’s academic profession, professional service and outreach to the community and to governmental entities.
• Contributions of public engagement (e.g., programs and partnerships, all with mutually beneficial community planning and participation).

Review will take place in two stages. In both stages the selection committee will evaluate all three areas of teaching, service, and research.