Curators Distinguished Professor
Selection Process

Expectations and Eligibility

The University of Missouri Board of Curators invites nominations for Curators’ Distinguished Professorships and Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professorships. These professorships are our university's most prestigious academic appointments, and the number of active Curators' Professors on campus may not exceed 10% of our tenure/tenure-track faculty.  Any faculty member nominated for this appointment is expected to be an outstanding scholar with an established reputation for research or teaching. These scholars and teachers are a resource for the entire campus and are expected to contribute to the entire system through such activities as giving lectures on other campuses, engaging in teaching and research across divisional lines, and serving as role models and mentors for other faculty.

Awardees receive a $15,000 annual stipend ($10,000 compensation and $5,000 faculty support) for as long as they hold the position, which is renewable every five years.  No person shall hold a Curators' Professorship while also serving in a full-time administrative position. More details about Curators’ Professorships are described in CRR 320.070.

Selection Process

After the initial fall submission deadline, two campus wide committees of distinguished or otherwise exceptional faculty and academy members (one for CDP and one for CDTP) will review the abbreviated dossiers.  A subset of applicants will be invited to move forward in the process and submit a full dossier for committee review in the spring.  All applicants will receive constructive feedback from their respective review committees.  After a second level of review, the committees will submit recommended candidates to the Dean(s), Provost, and Chancellor for their endorsements.  Candidates who receive positive endorsements at all levels will be forwarded to the University of Missouri System for additional review before the Board of Curators makes its final decisions at its September meeting.

 

An abbreviated packet (electronic format; word or pdf) shall be submitted for each nomination. This shall be forwarded by the nominator electronically to facultyaffairs@mst.edu. The abbreviated nomination packet shall include:

  • Abbreviated CV (No more than 20 pages)
  • Statement from nominee (No more than 4 pages)
  • Nomination letter (No more than 3 pages)

If you were notified that your nomination was selected by the committee to advance to the next level, you will need to complete the full nomination packet. 

Full nomination packets shall include:

  • Nomination Checklist. Faculty Affairs will obtain the recommendation from the Chancellor, Provost, and the Faculty Review Committee.
  • Executive Summary. Follow these Executive Summary Instructions, noting the required format.
  • Nomination Letter (No more than 3 pages)
  • Support letter from the Dean
  • Full CV
  • External letters of support (3-4) (These letters, written by prominent reviewers external to UM System, should provide a complete evaluation and explain why the nominee is worthy of recognition.)

Optional Materials
a. Additional Internal Letters of Support
b. Other materials pertinent to the nomination (i.e., teaching philosophies, evaluations, publication samples) 

Each nomination will need to be submitted in order as listed in the nomination checklist and complete (unless noted above) to facultyaffairs@mst.edu by the published deadline.

Curators' Professor 2025-2026 Timeline