The David Ross Boyd Professorship is one of the University's highest honors, recognizing faculty who have consistently demonstrated outstanding teaching, guidance, and leadership of students in an academic discipline or in an interdisciplinary program within the University.
In the year of designation as a David Ross Boyd Professor, the recipient will receive a one-time award of $7,000 and a permanent salary increase of 7% on the University base or $7,000 whichever is greater, starting in the subsequent fiscal year.
The term of a David Ross Boyd Professor is continuous until retirement or separation from the University.
Nominations are due to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost by November 1, 2024, through the Faculty Awards and Honors Packets Dropbox.
Criteria which will be considered are the degree to which the candidate:
Eligibility
Nominees must be full-time faculty members who hold regular faculty appointments. Limited-term faculty at the Health Sciences Center may also be considered. Nominees will normally hold the rank of full professor but associate professors may be considered. The faculty member must have been a University of Oklahoma employee during the period for which the outstanding contributions are being recognized; previous accomplishments at other institutions, if applicable, may be used in support of a continued outstanding performance. Recipients are not eligible in subsequent years for a Presidential Professorship. Recipients are eligible for a David L. Boren Professorship, George Lynn Cross Research Professorship, and Regents’ Professorship.
Initiation
The Senior Vice President and Provosts will solicit recommendations for the professorship by September 15 and announce appropriate schedules for processing the nominations. Furthermore, the solicitations will be posted on the appropriate campus website, for access by nominators and faculty on all three campuses.
Recommendations
Nominations may derive from department chairs or unit directors, elected members of departmental/unit Committee A, a department's/unit's approved nomination committee, Center leaders, or a group of faculty who are familiar with the nominee's qualifications for the award. Only one nomination per academic unit or other nominating group of faculty is allowed. The nominating entity will be responsible for assembling the nomination packets, including supporting documentation.
Nominations will be forwarded to the respective dean of the college for review and endorsement. An optional letter from the dean, if included, will focus on evaluatory comments regarding the quality and significance of the nominee's impact on the broader University of Oklahoma mission. The dean's letter will not count toward the page limit below. The dean will submit all the nominations and supporting documentation to the respective Senior Vice President and Provost by November 1. The Senior Vice President and Provosts will forward these materials to the University Council on Faculty Awards and Honors.
Supporting Documentation
Recommendations are to be accompanied by specific evidence that the nominee meets the criteria for selection. Nomination packets must include the following, not to exceed 25 pages combined:
In addition, the nomination packet must also include letters of support. Letters must specifically address the criteria of the professorship. No more than five letters should be included, with no more than three letters from students or student groups. These letters of support will not count toward the 25-page limit.
The following sequence should be followed. Begin page numbering with the letter of nomination.
Any other supporting materials submitted will be removed from the dossier.
Submission
All materials listed above should be submitted as a single combined PDF from the appropriate Dean's Office to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost via the Faculty Awards and Honors Packets Dropbox.
Review
The University Council on Faculty Awards and Honors shall consider only the formal nominations. The Council may seek additional data about nominees from supplemental sources, as appropriate. The Council shall forward to the Senior Vice President and Provosts its recommendation(s) for the professorship for their review. The Council also shall transmit all substantiating materials pertaining to all nominees.
Selection
The Senior Vice President and Provosts will review the nominees and forward their recommendations, along with all nominations and all substantiating materials pertaining to the nominees, by February 1 to the President, who will make the recommendations to the Board of Regents.
The final selection of the recipient(s) will be made by the Board of Regents.
The final selections will be announced for Norman Campus at the annual Faculty Awards and Honors ceremony and for the Health Sciences Center at the Spring General Faculty Meeting.
In the year of designation as a David Ross Boyd Professor, the person receiving the award will receive a one-time award of $7,000 and a permanent salary increase of 7% on the University base or $7,000, whichever is greater, starting in the subsequent fiscal year.
The term of a David Ross Boyd Professor is continuous until retirement or separation from the University.
This award is hosted by the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost. For questions about this award, please contact the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost (facultyawards@ou.edu).
The David Ross Boyd Professorship was approved by the Board of Regents on June 14, 1945 and is named for the first President of the University. The first appointments were effective June 14, 1946. When the professorship was first established, the policy provided that only two could be named in one year and the terms were for five years, though the individuals could be reappointed. The appointments now are continuous until retirement or separation from the University.
