John A. Hannah Distinguished Professorships

Michigan State University invites nominations for the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professorships, one of the university’s most prestigious faculty distinctions.

For the first time, MSU is conducting an open, university-wide nomination process for current faculty. Two to four professorships are available during this cycle.

Nominations must be received by Friday, Jan. 8, 2027

The John A. Hannah Distinguished Professorship was established in 1967 in honor of John A. Hannah’s 25 years of outstanding service as MSU president. Collectively, the professorships are intended to help expand and maintain faculty excellence across broad areas of the university.

The professorships are dedicated to encouraging continued outstanding scholarly, creative and entrepreneurial activity, teaching, mentorship and leadership. They are intended to support continued excellence and future impact rather than recognize past public service or length of service to the university.

Hannah Distinguished Professorships are awarded to individuals of excellence without regard to college or department designation. Final appointments are made by the MSU Board of Trustees upon recommendation of the Provost and President and consultation with a selection committee appointed by the Provost.

Each John A. Hannah Distinguished Professorship represents a significant investment in the continued excellence and impact of the recipient and includes: 

• $150,000 in annual research support
• $30,000 salary increment

Hannah Distinguished Professorships are granted in five-year terms, with an assumption of continuing appointment following a formal review. The review is based on achievement of mutually agreed-upon goals established at the time of the initial appointment. Recipients also provide annual reports on their Hannah Professorship-related activities and expenditures.

Nominees must:

• Be currently appointed in the tenure system at MSU.
• Be tenured faculty at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor.
• Be nominated by the dean of their college.

If a college submits multiple nominations, the dean must provide a ranking of the college’s nominees in the Dean’s Letter of Nomination. 

Nominations should make a compelling case for both 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 the appointment of a Hannah Professorship would significantly increase productivity (including federal grant or other resource procurement) in that area and related disciplines.
• How this appointment would contribute to a growing critical mass of related faculty on campus and its impact on both existing and emerging fields of study.
• The specific opportunities within the targeted scholarly area (e.g., new funding mechanisms, national initiatives, industry partnerships, or unique institutional assets) and why the timing is right for MSU to invest now.  
• Anticipated metrics and timeline for achieving increased productivity and critical mass (e.g., at three and five years following appointment).  

Faculty Nominee

The nomination proposal should provide:

• Evidence of the nominee's sustained, exemplary scholarly, creative, and/or entrepreneurial accomplishments in the targeted area.
• Evidence of the nominee's 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 formal classroom instruction.
• Evidence of the nominee's leadership, at MSU and/or in local, national, or international contexts, distinct from broader service contributions.

Required Nomination Materials

A complete nomination must include the following materials:

1. Dean’s Letter of Nomination — Maximum 1 Page
   The letter should formally nominate and endorse the faculty member for the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professorship. If the college is submitting more than one nomination, the letter must also include the dean’s ranking of the college’s nominees.
    
2. Proposal — Maximum 7 Pages (excluding citations)
   The proposal should address the Targeted Area and Opportunity and Faculty Nominee criteria outlined above.
    
3. Brief Curriculum Vitae — Maximum 5 Pages
   Provide an abbreviated CV for the nominee or an NSF-style biographical sketch.

Formatting and File Requirements

All nomination materials must be combined into one PDF and submitted through the online nomination form.

• File type: PDF only
• Font: Minimum 11-point font
• Margins: 1-inch margins
• Maximum length: 13 total pages (excluding citations)
  • Dean’s Letter of Nomination: maximum 1 page
  • Proposal: maximum 7 pages (excluding citations).  
  • Brief CV or NSF-style biosketch: maximum 5 pages
• Page numbering: Required on all pages
• Document order: (1) Dean’s Letter of Nomination → (2) Nomination Proposal → (3) Brief CV/Biosketch
• File name: FacultyLastName_College.pdf (example: Smith_CollegeofHumanMedicine.pdf)

• Sept. 21, 2026: Call for nominations opens
• Jan. 8, 2027: Nomination deadline
• February 2027: University selection committee reviews nominations
• March 2027: Selected nominations move forward for university approval
• April 2027: Anticipated Board of Trustees consideration
• Spring 2027: Recipients announced
• Fall 2027: Recipients formally recognized at the University Investiture 

A committee appointed by the Provost will review nominations. The committee will evaluate nominations based on the outlined criteria and make recommendations for consideration by university leadership.

John A. Hannah Distinguished Professorships are awarded by the MSU Board of Trustees upon recommendation of the Provost and President, following consultation with the selection committee. Following final approval, the Office of the Provost will coordinate with the recipient’s college regarding notification and announcement of the professorship. 

New John A. Hannah Distinguished Professors will be formally recognized at the Fall 2027 University Investiture. At a separate event, each recipient will also give a public lecture highlighting their scholarship, creative and/or entrepreneurial endeavors, leadership and service.

Questions regarding the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professorship, eligibility or nomination criteria can be directed to:

• Teresa Mastin, Ph.D., Vice Provost and Associate Vice President for Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs, at FASAffairs@msu.edu

Questions regarding the nomination form or submission process can be directed to:

• Alex Rockhold, Executive Assistant, at rockhol1@msu.edu