Faculty Awards & Recognition
One professor can touch the lives of many through teaching, mentorship, and research.
Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor
The Chester Fritz Distinguished Professorships were established with an endowment gift from the late UND benefactor Chester Fritz, 1892-1983. Revenue from the endowment provides for cash stipends to one or more full-time UND faculty members, who thereafter may use the title "Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor."
Criteria for Selection
- Demonstrated achievement across research, teaching, and service with significant national or regional recognition in any one of these missions.
- Significant professional contributions throughout his/her career. However, the basis for selection of Chester Fritz Professors will be heavily weighted toward one’s accomplishments at UND.
- Recognition by University of North Dakota colleagues as a faculty member who has made a valuable contribution to the quality of UND’s academic programs.
- Full-time member of the faculty which includes all ranked teaching and research personnel. Department chairs are eligible if he/she is a full-time member of the faculty. (Full-time administrators, e.g., vice-presidents and deans, are not eligible).
Nomination Process
The nomination packet should contain sufficient information for the committee to evaluate the nominee.
- The nominator(s) must submit a nomination letter. Nominator(s) must be a Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor, Full Professor, or Department Chair.
- College Deans must second all nominations in writing.
- Letters of support from other faculty are encouraged.
- A current curriculum vitae of the nominee must accompany the nomination.
Selection Committee
- Naima Kaabouch, Professor, College of Engineering
- Tracy Evanson, Professor, College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines
- Rob Stupnisky, Professor, College of Education & Human Development
- Brad Myers, Professor, School of Law
- Michelle Sauer, Professor, College of Arts & Sciences
- Ric Ferraro, Professor, College of Arts & Sciences
- Sean Valentine, Professor, Nistler College of Business & Public Administration
- Kent Lovelace, Professor, John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences
- Jonathan Geiger, Professor, School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Dates and Deadlines
- Nomination packets are due in the College Dean’s office by November 1.
- Complete nomination packets with letters from the nominator(s) and seconder (College Dean) are due to Faculty Affairs via Qualtrics by November 15.
- The Provost convenes a selection committee. The committee forwards a rank ordered list of names to the Provost by December 6 with specific recommendations for who should be awarded the Chester Fritz Professorship.
- The Provost reviews the committee’s recommendations and forward the recommendations to the President.
- Chester Fritz Distinguished Professorships are awarded at Founders Day.
Terms of Appointment
Once awarded, the recipient always carries the title “Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor.”
- Holly Brown-Borg, Pharmacology, Physiology & Therapeutics
- Sharon Carson, English
- Colin Combs, Biomedical Sciences
- Diane Darland, Biology
- F. Richard Ferraro, Psychology
- Jonathan Geiger, Pharmacology, Physiology & Therapeutics
- William D. Gosnold, Geology & Geological Engineering
- Birgit Hans, History & American Indian Studies
- Mark R. Hoffmann, Chemistry
- Naima Kaabouch, School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
- Alena Kubatova, Chemistry
- Glenda Lindseth, Nursing
- Kent Lovelace, Aviation
- Rachel Navarro, Counseling Psychology
- Daphne Pedersen, Sociology
- Thomas Petros, Psychology
- Rebecca Rozelle-Stone, Philosophy & Ethics
- Michelle Sauer, English
- Wayne Seames, Chemical Engineering
- MaryAnn Sens, Pathology
- William F. Sheridan, Biology
- Chih Ming Tan, Economics & Finance
- Vasyl Tkach, Biology
- Sean Valentine, Entrepreneurship & Management
- Roxanne Vaughan, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Jack Weinstein, Philosophy & Ethics
- Michael Wittgraf, Music
- Julia Zhao, Chemistry
- Michael A. Anderegg, English (retired)
- James Antes, Psychology & Peace Studies (retired)
- Michael C. Beard, English (retired)
- Robert Beck, Law (deceased)
- Richard Beringer, History (deceased)
- William V. Borden, English (deceased)
- Edward C. Carlson, Anatomy & Cell Biology (retired)
- William E. Cornatzer, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (deceased)
- Richard D. Crawford, Biology
- Kenneth J. Dawes, Social Work (retired)
- Sandra Donaldson, English (retired)
- Mike Ebadi, Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Physiology & Therapeutics (deceased)
- Ronald C. Engle, Theatre Arts (retired)
- Albert J. Fivizzani, Biology (retired)
- Mary Lou S. Fuller, Elementary Education (retired)
- Michael Gaffey, Space Studies (retired)
- Elizabeth Hampsten, English (retired)
- Joseph Hartman, Geology & Geological Engineering (retired)
- David Hein, Pharmacology & Toxicology
- Thomasine Heitkamp, Nursing (retired)
- Richard L. Hill, Educational Administration (deceased)
- Gordon L. Iseminger, History (retired)
- Warren Jensen, Aviation (retired)
- Cindy Juntunen, Counseling Psychology
- Harvey Knull, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- David O. Lambeth, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (retired)
- Richard G. Landry, Educational Measurements & Statistics (retired)
- Diane K. Langemo, Nursing Practice and Development (retired)
- Donald K. Lemon, Educational Leadership (deceased)
- Robert W. Lewis, English (deceased)
- Steven Light, Political Science & Public Administration (retired)
- Frank Low, Anatomy (deceased)
- Richard L. Ludtke, Sociology (retired)
- Michael D. Mann, Chemical Engineering (retired)
- Roger Melvold, Microbiology & Immunology (deceased)
- James E. Mitchell, Neuroscience (retired)
- James Mochoruk, History (retired)
- Thomas Mohr, Physical Therapy (retired)
- Robert C. Nordlie, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (deceased)
- Myrna R. Olson, Teaching & Learning (retired)
- Lewis K. Oring, Biology
- Leon Osborne, Atmospheric Science (deceased)
- Surendra S. Parmar, Physiology (retired)
- Brian O. Paulsen, Art
- Russell Peterson, Education (deceased)
- Michael Poellot, Atmospheric Sciences (retired)
- Lewis J. Radonovich, Chemistry
- Kathryn Rand, School of Law (retired)
- Paul D. Ray, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (deceased)
- John L. Rowe, Business and Vocational Education (deceased)
- Isaac Schlosser, Biology (retired)
- Mary Jane Schneider, Indian Studies (deceased)
- Santhosh Seelan, Space Studies (retired)
- Donald E. Severson, Chemical Engineering (retired)
- Brij Singh, Biomedical Sciences
- Virgil Stenberg, Chemistry (retired)
- Jeffrey L. Stith, Atmospheric Sciences
- Kathleen Tiemann, Sociology
- D. Jerome Tweton, History (deceased)
- Stephen K. Wikel, Microbiology and Immunology
- Sharon Wilsnack, Neuroscience (retired)
- Stephen Wonderlich, Clinical Neuroscience
- Charles A. Wood, Space Studies
- Carla Wulff Hess, Communication Sciences and Disorders (deceased)
- Kevin Young, Microbiology and Immunology
Emeritus Status
The Office of the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs invites nominations for faculty to be considered for emeritus/emerita status. Emeritus status is an honorary title conferred to recognize an individual’s contributions and accomplishments over their university careers. The Emeritus title is conferred at the discretion of the President based on the criteria and nomination process listed below.
Eligibility and Evaluation
Faculty Appointments
The title Emeritus or Emerita may be granted to any full-time member of the faculty who retires from the University after at least ten years of employment at UND. Per State Board of Higher Education Policy 431, in making recommendations for emeritus status, consideration is given to: length of service to the institution, significant contributions to the institution and the State of North Dakota, or particularly distinguished service to an academic discipline. If approved, the term “emeritus” will modify the final title held by the faculty member prior to retirement from UND. A faculty member who retires from UND in order to assume a professorship at another university is not normally eligible for consideration for Emeritus status.
Dean Appointments
Recommendations for the title “Dean Emerita/Emeritus” may be made for an individual who is completing service as the dean of a college/school. Dean Emerita/Emeritus is an honorific title which recognizes outstanding service to UND and its academic programs. The title is normally awarded to faculty who have retired while serving as dean for the past six or more years.
Emeritus Benefits
The granting of Emeritus status is an honorary title which entails no assigned duties or stipend, responsibilities, office space, or use of clerical staff.
Individuals granted Emeritus shall:
- Maintain a UND email address; and
- Have library privileges, including borrowing material, walk-in access to all databases, and remote access to databases with the use of an NDUS network account.
- Emeritus faculty and deans also receive the benefits offered to all UND retirees.
- Parking Office – Retirees may purchase a discounted permit annually to visit campus.
- One Stop Student Services – Anyone over the age of 65 may audit courses and receive a waiver of the audit fee.
- Wellness Center – Retirees may purchase a membership at the same rate as faculty/staff.
Nomination Procedure
FACULTY EMERITUS STATUS NOMINATION FORM
Nominations for emeritus status are accepted at any time of the year. Please be mindful of upcoming retirements as this should initiate consideration for emeritus status. Faculty with upcoming retirements who would like to be considered for emeritus status are encouraged to speak to their chair and dean well in advance of their intended retirement date.
A documented nomination should include the following:
- A paragraph describing why the individual merits this distinction (i.e. significant contributions to the institution, the state, and/or service to the faculty member's academic discipline)
- Date of initial appointment
- Length of service
- Date of retirement
- Each nominee should be recommended for emeritus status by the appropriate faculty body and dean of the college
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact:
- randi.tanglen@UND.edu
- 701.777.4141
-
O'Kelly Hall Room 8A
Grand Forks ND 58202-8006
State Board of Higher Education Policy
STATE BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY 431
- The Board may in its discretion confer emeritus status upon retirement or after retirement to a chancellor or president, based upon significant contributions or length of service to the state, university system or institution.
- Institutions may confer emeritus status upon retirement or after retirement to faculty or senior administrators or professionals (excluding meritus status for presidents), pursuant to institution policies and procedures. Criteria for emeritus status may include, but are not limited to, length of service to the institution, significant contributions to the institution and the State of North Dakota, or particularly distinguished service to an academic discipline.
- Emeritus status shall not include salary or other compensation or other rights, except privileges specified in institution policies or procedures.
Endowed Faculty Positions
Together, we are only as strong as our faculty — they’re the heart of our University. Supporting our endowed faculty and research will:
- Attract and retain outstanding teaching and research faculty.
- Draw top-notch students who want to work with leading scholars.
- Secure research grants and private support.
- Expand the University’s profile and participation across networks.
- Foster media attention and bring in national conferences.
Endowed faculty allow students to learn from the most talented scholars in the world to solve global grand challenges.
LEARN MORE about Endowed Positions
Frequently Asked Questions on Endowed Positions at UND
Endowed positions are established to honor and support the work of faculty who are making exceptional contributions to their academic discipline through research, creative activity, and other academic and administrative activities of the highest order based on donor’s wishes.
UND encourages the establishment of endowed deanships, chairs, professorships, and fellowships created by private gifts to the university through the UND Alumni Association and Foundation (UNDAAF); such gifts recognize and augment support for outstanding faculty and academic units. Endowed faculty positions are crucial for recruiting and retaining the highest-quality faculty. The greatest institutions have the best minds, the most creative researchers, and the most engaged teachers. Attracting and retaining exceptional faculty members to the institution enriches the academic environment, which attracts the brightest students, enhances the impact and reputation of the university, and assists the university with fulfilling its mission.
It is the right of the university to designate the title of the endowed position, which will generally use one of the following formats:
- [Name selected in consultation with benefactor] Chair in [field]
- [Name selected in consultation with benefactor] Professorship in [field]
- [Name selected in consultation with benefactor] Fellowship in [field]
An alternative title may be established by the university following consultation with the Donor, the dean, Provost/VPHA and UNDAAF and will be outlined in the donor agreement.
Examples of these positions are below:
Chair: A chair is the most prestigious named position. This recognition recognizes a faculty member who has made significant contributions to scholarship, research and/or service to the wider community.
Professorship: A professorship recognizes a faculty member who has achieved national or international prominence.
Fellowship: A fellowship recognizes the University’s desire to support teaching or research. The appropriate Dean and Vice President determine how endowment income is used. Their decision is based on the University’s strategic priorities and the academic pursuits of the fellowship holder.
Responsibility for identifying faculty endowment priorities lies with the Vice President for Academic Affairs (Provost)/Vice President for Health Affairs (VPHA) and the Deans. The UND Alumni Association and Foundation is responsible for establishing donor agreements and managing all endowed funds according to the policies established by the UNDAAF’s Board of Directors.
The college deans and their financial officers are responsible for administering annual funding to endowed positions. Endowed position holders are responsible for proper use of endowed funds according to donor intent along with annual stewardship of the gift.
The endowment payout is generally used by the university to support the faculty member's compensation and/or responsibilities in teaching, research, outreach, and service. The specific use of endowment is determined in the donor agreement and should be outlined specifically in the Letter of Understanding. Examples of possible uses include a salary supplement or as part of the base salary, graduate assistant stipends, administrative assistance, travel expenses, research support, professional development, and for such other purposes as may be reasonably related to the purpose of the endowment. For questions about additional allowable expenses please contact Resource, Planning and Allocation at UND.RPA@und.edu. Supporting expenses are to be spent by the faculty member who holds the endowed position, or their designee and are subject to all NDUS and UND financial policies and procedures.
Funds to establish an endowed position are to be provided by a gift specific to that purpose. Minimum endowments are suggested as outlined on the UNDAAF website. These amounts are reviewed by the UNDAAF along with the Provost and college deans as part of the annual budget review process.
The next fiscal year payout amount is determined in October by UNDAAF board and communicated via the monthly UNDAAF fund listing to the UND departments in November/December. These are the dollars that are available for budgeting and expenditure in the next fiscal year.
During the annual budgeting process, departments will budget the portion of salary and fringe benefits on the UND restricted fund (beginning with 79) for the named educator following the intent of the UNDAAF fund for salary and fringe expenses. Operating expenses should follow the local fund (26XXX) alumni budgeting and reimbursement process. At the beginning of each fiscal year, UND central finance will submit a billing to the UNDAAF for the amount of salary and fringe benefits budgeted on UND restricted funds supported by UNDAAF funds.
UND will periodically review endowment fund expenditures compared to the initial billing and submit any additional billing to UNDAAF as needed. UND central finance will bill UNDAAF monthly for expenses that are charged to the 26XXX funds. If you have any questions or need assistance in getting this budgeting and billing established, please contact Resource, Planning and Allocation at UND.RPA@und.edu.
The award of an endowed position is made by the Provost/VPHA and the respective dean of the college. An annual ‘letter of understanding’ will go out to each endowed position in the Spring outlining the responsibilities of the position, as outlined in the original endowment agreement. (Please use the Endowed Position LOU template) In the event the award of an endowed position is to coincide with a new offer of appointment to the faculty, the appointment shall follow all other UND policies and procedures.
The appointment of an individual to fill an endowed administrative position will follow the normal process for selecting and appointing unit administrators and is supervised by the Provost and President.
Depending on the terms, an endowed position may be filled by appointment of an existing tenured or tenure-track member of the faculty or may be used to recruit new exceptional faculty members. Appointment to an endowed position does not confer reduction in teaching load and does not guarantee tenure or future employment at the university. Appointment and reappointment to the endowed position are reserved for full-time, active, non-retired tenured or tenure-track faculty.
All holders of endowed positions are subject to annual and periodic review processes as established in departmental, college, university, and system policies. In addition, the holder of an endowed position must complete, as part of their annual review, a stewardship form accounting of activities undertaken in accordance with the stated purpose of the position. The office of the Provost/VPHA will provide the form to UNDAAF for internal use only. The information can be used in other forms of communication to the donor.
On relinquishment of the endowed position, a faculty member is entitled to refer to themselves by the endowed position name with appending dates of incumbency. Upon retirement from the university, the endowed position is automatically relinquished.
An endowed position may be filled by one individual for an indefinite period of time or for a prescribed period, unless otherwise provided in the terms of the endowment agreement.
Holding an endowed position at the institution is considered a privilege, not a right, and holders of these positions who fail to meet the expectations associated with the role may be removed from the position at any time.
During the third triannual budget meeting, the dean will report to the Provost/VPAA or VPHA any unawarded endowed positions, reason for not awarding, and plans for future awards. If the position is unable to be awarded for more than two years, the dean will provide corrective action to enable awarding or request to reinvest distribution back to the endowment.
If changes in the endowment are necessary, the UNDAAF must ensure that, absent unusual circumstances, the endowment agreement contains the donor's recognition and permission for alternate use of the endowment and payout funds. The UNDAAF will then contact the donor or the North Dakota Attorney General to formally amend the endowment agreement.
Once the endowment agreement is signed for a newly endowed position, a kick-off meeting will be scheduled to include the respective Dean, Development Officer, UNDAAF stewardship representative, UNDAAF and UND finance representatives, college alumni relations representative and any other appropriate party as needed to discuss the details of the gift, timing of awarding of the position, payout timeline, investiture ceremony timing, and a communications plan.
The Provost/VPHA and UNDAAF, the Deans and department chairs will coordinate the communication of the award of a chair, professorship, or fellowship to the donor or donor representatives and provide opportunities for the faculty member and donor to connect. In coordination with UNDAAF, the endowed faculty member should periodically communicate with the donor regarding their accomplishments and activities. The Dean and Development Officer will communicate with the donor on changes to the appointment.
Once the faculty member has been appointed to the endowed position, a private investiture ceremony will be held to honor both the donor and the endowed faculty member. Additionally, the named faculty member is strongly recommended to attend the annual faculty investiture ceremony and celebration.
Faculty are asked to submit an annual Endowed Faculty Stewardship Form to help the UND Alumni Association & Foundation (UNDAAF) communicate the impact of each endowed position. The form will be collected at the same time as university annual evaluations and is submitted to the endowed faculty’s respective college dean.