University Diversity & Social Transformation Professorship

The University Diversity & Social Transformation Professorship recognizes senior University of Michigan faculty who have — through their scholarship, teaching, and/or service — demonstrated a long-term commitment to addressing institutional barriers.

These individuals not only transform the University of Michigan but also shape the broader societal discourse around inclusion and equity. The award includes financial support for research, bestows the Bowman Center faculty fellow status, and offers a semester-long leave for scholarly engagement and leadership development.

The professorship holds a place of distinction among other esteemed U-M professorships, such as the Thurnau, Collegiate, and Distinguished University Professorships. It is reserved exclusively for individuals who have reached the pinnacle of achievement in their fields.

With a dual purpose in mind, the professorship serves to recognize exceptional senior U-M faculty who have made significant contributions at the University of Michigan and beyond. Additionally, it aims to attract outstanding senior faculty from other institutions who have also made noteworthy impacts to access and opportunity at their respective institutions and beyond.

Selection Process

There will be separate selection processes for internal versus external candidates. For both internal and external candidates, nominations will be evaluated by selection committees coordinated by the Phillip J. Bowman Center for Scholarship to Practice (the Bowman Center) in coordination with the Vice Provost for Access and Opportunity. The committee will select a set of recommended nominees and forward them to the Provost’s Office. The Provost will submit final recommendations to the Board of Regents for approval.

Selection Criteria

The UDSTP was established to honor senior faculty who have — through their scholarship, teaching, and/or service — demonstrated a long-term commitment to addressing institutional barriers.The faculty committee reviewing these nominations will be from a wide-range of disciplines across the University. As such, nominations should be written for a general academic audience, describing the nature of the work as it impacts diversity, equity, and/or inclusion, as well as its importance and impact, particularly as it is situated in their disciplinary context. The significance of accolades, awards, or distinctions mentioned also should be described so that readers can better understand the scope and magnitude of their accomplishments.

The strongest letters of support will articulate the ways in which the nominee has been a leader in making significant and sustained efforts to remove barriers; efforts that have resulted in programmatic and transformative local, national and/or international impact. Importantly, their particular accomplishments in the research, teaching, and/or service arenas should be directly tied to these impacts. Questions may be directed to udstp-info@umich.edu.

Internal Candidates

Internal candidates must have an active tenured appointment in one of the schools and colleges on the Ann Arbor campus. These faculty must have outstanding portfolios with strong evidence of demonstrated achievement in removing barriers to access and opportunity within their field and/or their university home(s). For faculty with budgeted appointments in multiple units, a nomination is needed only from one unit that is a tenured home. However, a brief statement in support of the nomination from the other budgeted unit is highly recommended.

Complete nominations for internal candidates consist of the following: 

  1. A detailed statement of nomination from the dean detailing the candidate’s qualifications for the UDSTP (see “selection criteria” above for more information) and the unit’s commitment to provide at least one semester leave for the Bowman Center Faculty Fellow in-residence status;
  2. Statement of support from the other budgeted unit (if applicable);
  3. the candidate’s current CV; and
  4. at least 1, and no more than 3, letters of support from other faculty members in support of the nomination.

External Candidates

Given the length of senior faculty recruitment seasons across schools and colleges, a distinct process is in place for the nomination of external candidates. Complete nominations for external candidates consist of the following:

  1. A detailed statement of nomination from the dean detailing the candidate’s qualifications for the UDSTP (see “selection criteria” above for more information) and the unit’s commitment to provide at least one semester leave for the Bowman Center Faculty Fellow in-residence status, and
  2. the candidate’s current CV.