AA/PPS 02.04.10 - Honorary Faculty Titles and Emeritus Faculty

POLICY STATEMENT

Texas State University is committed to providing recognition to current and retired faculty members for distinguished service and contributions.

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

   1. Several honorary titles, including those of regents’ professor, regents’ teacher, university distinguished professor, distinguished professor and associate professor emeritus, and professor and associate professor emeritus, are awarded to current and retired faculty to recognize long and distinguished service at Texas State University.

2. PROCEDURES FOR APPOINTMENT

   1. University Distinguished Professor – honors individuals whose performance in teaching, research, and service has been exemplary and recognized at the national and international levels. Faculty members who have held the rank of full professor for at least five consecutive years at Texas State will be eligible to apply for this award. The awardees will receive a $5,000 award, a commemorative medallion, and a plaque (see University Distinguished Professor Award Criteria for criteria and selection process and University Distinguished Professor Award Nomination form to be included with summary presentation).

   2. University Humanities Research Excellence Award – honors faculty members with an outstanding record of humanities research and scholarly activities. The purpose of the award is to highlight and recognize exceptional humanities research and scholarship undertaken by Texas State faculty members.

      Nominees must demonstrate sustained commitment or activity in the humanities. Nominees will be judged on the following criteria: internal and external recognition of activity; impact or significance of individual activities; overall significance to the advancement of the humanities; and quality of the writing and organization of the application. Recipients will receive a $5,000 award, plaque, and commemorative medallion. Faculty may receive the award more than once, but not more than once every five years.

   3. Regents’ Professor – the highest faculty honor and title bestowed by The Texas State University System (TSUS). The purpose of the award is to honor individuals whose performance and contributions to the educational community at large have been exemplary. Nominees must be full-time faculty members who have held the rank of full professor or equivalent for a period of not less than five consecutive years. Nominees must demonstrate a record of distinguished teaching along with accomplishments in research or other scholarly activities; a record of service at the local, state, and national levels; and a record of commitment to the college or university.

      Nominations for regents’ professor will be selected by the president from the list of Texas State faculty who have received the title of university distinguished professor; nominations will be submitted to The TSUS Board of Regents.

      Recipients will receive a $10,000 award and a commemorative medallion bearing the seal of The TSUS. Upon retirement, a regents’ professor will automatically receive emeritus faculty status.

   4. Regents’ Teacher – The purpose of The TSUS Regents’ Teacher Award is to honor exceptional instructors at TSUS component institutions. Nominees must be full-time faculty members with at least five consecutive years of teaching experience at the institution and must demonstrate a record of distinguished teaching.

      Recipients will receive a $5,000 award and a commemorative medallion bearing the seal of The TSUS. Upon retirement, a regents’ teacher will automatically receive emeritus faculty status.

   5. Distinguished Professor or Associate Professor Emeritus – This title honors extraordinary faculty members who are retired and recognizes their exemplary service to Texas State. Because of the special nature of this designation, normally no more than three individuals will be named as distinguished professor and associate professor emeritus in any year. There may be years in which this title is not conferred. The awardees will be honored with a plaque (see Distinguished Professor Emeritus Nomination form for eligibility and nomination process, including expectations for meeting the required criteria for teaching excellence and recognition resulting from scholarly or creative work as well as three of the five additional criteria).

   6. Professor Emeritus and Associate Professor Emeritus – The president is authorized to bestow the title of professor emeritus and associate professor emeritus upon any retired member of the faculty or in anticipation of the retirement of the faculty member, effective upon retirement. For professor emeritus, the title may be bestowed provided that the faculty member holds the rank of professor at Texas State and has served the university, with distinction, for at least 10 years. For associate professor emeritus, the title may be bestowed provided that the faculty member holds the rank of associate professor at Texas State and has served the university, with distinction, for at least 15 years. Emeritus status will be available to faculty members who meet the requirements in years of service and job title.

   7. Except for regents’ professors and university distinguished professors, the conferring of these titles will not be automatic upon retirement, but shall be based upon individual distinction, exceptionally high-quality service, and outstanding contributions to the university. Academic deans recommend recipients to the provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs and the president from the list of eligible candidates nominated by their peers.

3. REVIEWERS OF THIS PPS

   1. Reviewer of this PPS includes the following:

      Position	Date
      Senior Vice Provost	November 1 E5Y

4. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

   This PPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State Academic Affairs policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

   Senior Vice Provost; senior reviewer of this PPS

   Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs