About the Professorship
The John A. Hannah Distinguished Professorship is one of Michigan State University’s most prestigious faculty distinctions. Established in 1967 to honor John A. Hannah’s 25 years of service as MSU president, the professorships help expand and sustain faculty excellence across the university.
The professorship recognizes continued excellence and future potential in scholarly, creative and entrepreneurial activity, teaching, mentorship and leadership. Each five-year appointment includes $150,000 in annual research support and a $30,000 salary increment, with an assumption of continuation following a formal review.
For the 2026–27 cycle, MSU is conducting its first open, university-wide nomination process, with two to four professorships available. Because nominations must be submitted by a college dean, the College of Arts and Letters (CAL) has established an internal selection process. Chairs and directors may submit up to two nominees. The dean and the Dean’s Award Committee will review the submissions, and the dean may advance and rank up to three CAL nominees for university consideration.
Eligibility
Nominees must:
- Hold a current tenure-system appointment at MSU.
- Be tenured at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor.
Self-nominations are not accepted.
Nomination Criteria
Nominations should make a compelling case for the strategic opportunity represented by the targeted area and the faculty nominee’s ability to advance that opportunity.
Targeted Area and Opportunity
The nomination proposal should address:
- The targeted area of scholarly, creative and/or entrepreneurial activity and how a Hannah Professorship would significantly increase productivity, including federal grant or other resource procurement, in that area and related disciplines.
- How the appointment would contribute to a growing critical mass of related faculty on campus and affect existing and emerging fields of study.
- Specific opportunities in the targeted area, such as new funding mechanisms, national initiatives, industry partnerships or unique institutional assets, and why the timing is right for MSU to invest.
- Anticipated measures and a timeline for increased productivity and critical mass, including milestones at three and five years after appointment.
Faculty Nominee
The nomination proposal should provide:
- Evidence of sustained, exemplary scholarly, creative and/or entrepreneurial accomplishments in the targeted area.
- Evidence of excellence in teaching and mentorship, broadly defined. This may include graduate and professional student advising and mentoring, clinical or clerkship supervision, and mentoring of early-career faculty, in addition to classroom instruction.
- Evidence of leadership at MSU and/or in local, national or international contexts, distinct from broader service contributions.
CAL Internal Nomination Process
Each chair or director may submit up to two nominations. Combine the following materials into one PDF:
- Nomination proposal of no more than five pages addressing the Targeted Area and Opportunity and Faculty Nominee criteria above. Use a minimum 11-point font and 1-inch margins.
- Brief curriculum vitae of no more than five pages or an NSF-style biosketch.
CAL Deadline: Monday, Nov. 2, 2026
Email the nomination materials as a single PDF to Kirk Domer, Interim Associate Dean for Inclusive Access and Faculty Affairs, at domer@msu.edu. Use the subject line “Hannah Distinguished Professorship Nomination.” Questions about the CAL process also may be directed to Kirk Domer.
Selection and Next Steps
The dean and the Dean’s Award Committee will review all internal submissions. CAL may advance up to three nominees to the university process. Selected nominees and their nominating administrator will work with the Dean’s Office to prepare the full university packet:
- Dean’s Letter of Nomination: maximum one page.
- Proposal: maximum seven pages, excluding citations.
- Brief curriculum vitae or NSF-style biosketch: maximum five pages.
Selected nominees and their nominating administrator must submit the updated proposal and brief CV to the Dean’s Office by Friday, Dec. 18, 2026. The dean will submit the final nomination packet to the Office of the Provost by Friday, Jan. 8, 2027.
For complete criteria, formatting requirements and the university timeline, review the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professorship guidelines from the Office of the Provost.