Titled Professorships

Titled Professorships

(IU coding: NDW) 

Titled professor nominations at IU Indianapolis are reviewed by the executive vice chancellor for approval. The final step is approval by the Trustees, so any nomination does not become formal until the next Trustee meeting after the nomination is approved at the campus. Please note that any external candidate is likely to be hired-with-tenure, and that separate  process involves six external letters (at least three at arms-length), as well as other steps. Please see this checklist.

Following the school's procedure for titled/endowed professorships or chairs, the school dean will send an email to ude[dot]ui[at]rhdaca giving approval for the title as well as detailed explanation. The email and explanation will be reviewed by the executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer. The approved proposal will be shared with the Board of Trustees for final approval at their next meeting.  

For external candidates, the assumption is that they will be hired with tenure (see this checklist). This requires a total of six external letters, at least three of which must address the titled professorship requirements, and at least three of which must be at arms-length.  

Degree of eminence of the applicant 

• The basic assumption is that the candidate is already a full professor. Most titled professors in the IU system are at full rank.
• If someone is at the associate level but will be promoted to full (e.g. is employed at another university at associate level but will be hired at IU Indianapolis as full), include a statement from the promotion and tenure committee of the school attesting to their satisfying the school criteria for the rank of full.   
• If someone is at the associate level and will not be promoted upon hire, you may give them the title of Scholar of XXXX (rather than Professor/Chair of XXXX). Or, contact ude[dot]ui[at]rhdaca for an exception, explaining how this person is nationally qualified for that particular titled professorship.  

Search process for external candidates 

• Please indicate if the endowed position was searched as such. For example, your unit may have an Endowed Professorship in This Specialty; you conduct a full national search for the most eminent available person in This Specialty.   
• Check the purpose of the reference letters. Six letters are required when the candidate is being hired-with-tenure. At least two or three of the letters should specifically address the qualifications for the endowed position; that is, not all of them should be routine employment-letters-of-reference. At least 3 should be at arms-length. You may begin with the references the candidate supplies but three must be arms-length.  

Special notes: 

• There are funding distinctions between titled professorships and titled ‘chairs’. Please consult with IU Foundation or the school’s development officer.  
• School of Medicine follows a separate procedure. Contact ude[dot]ui[at]nmdadaca for details.

After a nomination is approved by the executive vice chancellor the nomination is returned to the school. The school's HR staff will enter an admin post for the professorship, and that action will trigger the listing of the nomination on the next Trustee agenda.  

Reviewed and revised 2/2024.