The Regents' Professorship is one of the University's Distinguished Professorships. It recognizes a faculty member who has rendered outstanding service to the academic community or to an academic or professional discipline through extraordinary achievement in academic administration or professional service.
In the year of designation as a Regents' Professor, the person receiving the award will receive a one-time cash award of up to $7,000 and a permanent salary increase of 7% on the University base salary or $7,000, whichever is greater, starting in the subsequent fiscal year.
The term of a Regents' Professorship 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.
Nominees must be full-time faculty members who hold regular faculty appointments. 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. Persons named Regents’ Professors are not eligible in subsequent years for a Presidential Professorship. Recipients are eligible for a David L. Boren Professorship, David Ross Boyd Professorship, and George Lynn Cross Research 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 campuses.
Recommendations
Nominations should derive from administrative leaders at OU, including administrative officers, current and former department chairs, college Deans, and Provosts. Packets must be assembled by the nominee's administrative and/or evaluatory unit. Nominations are due to the respective Senior Vice President and Provost by November 1.
Supporting Documentation
Nomination packets must include the following, not to exceed 25 pages combined:
In addition, the nomination packet may also include up to five letters of support, either internal or external, but favoring at least two external letters. Letters must specifically address the criteria of the Professorship. 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.
Submission
All materials listed above should be submitted as a single combined PDF 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 shall forward to the Senior Vice President and Provosts its recommendation(s) 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 nomination materials and the Council’s recommendations and will forward their recommendations, along with all substantiating materials, by February 1 to the President, who will make 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 Regents’ Professor, the person receiving the award will receive a one-time award of up to $7,000 and a permanent salary increase of 7% on the University base salary or $7,000, whichever is greater, starting in the subsequent fiscal year.
The term of a Regents’ Professorship is continuous until retirement or separation from the University.
This award for the Norman campus 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).
