Distinguished Professors
Today, the highest distinction a professor can attain at the university is the designation as a University Distinguished Professor or an Alumni Distinguished Professor. In 1969 the board of visitors created the title “University Professor” to honor faculty who had achieved international distinction and stature. In January 1972 the Alumni Association announced that a limited number of Alumni Professorships—five— would be awarded the following fall to recognize exceptional accomplishment in undergraduate teaching, creative scholarship, and professional activities. The association built an endowment to fund the professorships to honor the university’s centennial celebration, and Frederick Donald Bloss became the first recipient. In 1975 the board of visitors changed the University Professor title to University Distinguished Professor at the recommendation of President William Lavery. Only 1 percent of the faculty can hold the UDP title.
Professors who have held the distinguished professorships and the year they received the honor are as follows:
University Professors
1969 Charles Burchard
1969 Charles I. Rich
1969 Dan H. Pletta
1969 George M. Harper
1969 Irving J. Good
1969 James M. Buchanan
1971 Leon Meirovitch
1971 Paul F. Zweifel
1971 Roy E. Blaser
1971 William C. Havard
1972 Gordon Tullock
1972 John Cairns Jr.
1974 Walter R. Hibbard Jr.
University Distinguished Professors
1975 Ali Hasan Nayfeh
1975 George B. Collins
1975 Paul B. Siegel
1976 Lillian V. H. Moore
1976 Lillian V. Holdeman
1978 Arthur M. Squires
1979 Robert E. Marshak
1981 Gerald V. Gibbs
1982 Walter Edward C. Moore
1983 Bruce Wallace
1983 W. Leonard Meirovitch
1986 Bernard F. Dukore
1986 Frank S. Quinn
1987 J. Michael Duncan
1988 Herve Moulin
1989 Samuel K. Alexander
1996 George J. Flick, Jr.
1996 James E. McGrath
1996 James K. Mitchell
1996 John J. Tyson*
1996 Paul L. Knox*
1999 David Kingston*
1999 Fred C. Lee*
1999 Garth L. Wilkes
1999 Harold E. Burkhart*
1999 Nikki Giovanni*
1999 Robert J. Bodnar*
1999 T. W. Luke*
1999 Thomas H. Ollendick*
2000 Arun G. Phadke
2007 Hanif Sherali
2007 Michael F. Hochella Jr.*
2010 Dennis Dean*
2010 Roe-Hoan Yoon*
2013 Patricia Dove*
2013 X.J. Meng*
2015 Karen Roberto*
2017 Dushan Boroyevich* and Marc Edwards*
* Currently on the faculty
The rank of university distinguished professor shall be carried by incumbents until resignation or retirement from the university, subject to the normal standard of continuous high performance.
Honorary University Distinguished Professor
1988 Marjorie G. Grene (1910-2009)
After her mandatory retirement from UC Davis, Prof. Grene found it financially and intellectually desirable to continue working in academic settings. From fall 1978 until spring 1986 she held visiting positions in twelve colleges and universities plus a research fellowship (1985-86) at the American Museum of Natural History. In 1988, when her daughter Ruth moved from Cornell University to Virginia Tech, Prof. Grene moved from Ithaca, NY to Blacksburg, VA where she was named as an Honorary University Distinguished Professor and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Science Studies at Virginia Tech. Marjorie Grene passed away March 16, 2009, at age 98 after a brief illness.
Alumni Distinguished Professors
1972 Frederick Donald Bloss
1974 Daniel Frederick
1981 Charles William Smith
1981 Paul Antonie Distler
1982 Noel R. Krieg
1982 Olivio C. Ferrari
1987 James P. Wightman
1992 George M. Simmons Jr.
1992 James I. Robertson Jr.
1992 William E. Snizek
1996 Siegfried M. Holzer
1998 Lucinda H. Roy*
1998 Wayne D. Purcell
1999 Arthur Buikema
2002 Charles Reinholtz
2002 Rosemary Blieszner*
2003 Jacqueline E. Bixler*
2004 Charles Bostian
2005 Ezra “Bud” Brown
2005 Scott Geller*
2007 Gary Downey*
2010 Tom Gardner*
2010 John Seiler*
2012 Y.A. Liu*
2016 Art Keown*
2017 Gary Downey*
* Currently holding an alumni distinguished professorship
An appointment as alumni distinguished professor is conferred by the board of visitors upon an individual for a period of 10 years; the appointment may be renewed. There is no quota by college or department.
Honorary Alumni Distinguished Professor
1987 James P. Wightman