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Distinguished University Professor

Senior scholars of the University may receive the title of Distinguished University Professor in recognition of unusual scholarly achievement at the University, pre-eminence in a particular field of knowledge and a solid teaching record.

Description

The number of such distinctions should be no more than 25 regular tenured faculty. Exceptionally, a clinical professor who is particularly active in the supervision of graduate and postdoctoral students and who has significantly contributed to the University's visibility may be considered. This number would not include persons who retain the title after retirement. The significance of the title, as well as the quality of its holders as role models, is recognized at official University functions.

A Selection Committee appointed by the President will consist of six senior members of the teaching staff of the University of Ottawa and two senior members of the teaching staff of other universities. The Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs will chair the Selection Committee. The nomination of individuals to be considered for the title of Distinguished University Professor will be an open process.

The Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs, on behalf of the Selection Committee, will recommend by consensus the nominees to the President and to the Joint Committee of the Senate and the Board of Governors. Such recommendations will be accompanied by a written statement outlining the accomplishments of each nominee.

Source: Guidelines (updated in July 2015)

Recipients

  • Faculty of Medicine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health
  • Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing

Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Dr. Graham is a pioneer and world leader in the field of knowledge translation (KT) for which he has authored several foundational works and created influential frameworks, tools and measures. Dr. Graham is also an extremely dedicated teacher and mentor and is an enthusiastic ambassador of uOttawa’s mission, values and priority areas.

  • Faculty of Law, Civil Law Section

Guided by his deep conviction that law must serve the betterment of all Canadians, Professor Pelletier has served as a minister in the Quebec government for almost six years before returning to academia. Through his efforts to mobilize knowledge, Professor Pelletier contributes to the construction and reassessment of Canadian identity, highlighting elements of our collective past that deserve to be better known or current realities that are not well understood.

  • Faculty of Arts, Department of Classics and Religious Studies

Inducted into the Royal Society of Canada and into the Academy for Jewish Research, Professor Reinhartz has made significant contributions in the study of ancient Judaism and Christianity, and Bible in/and Film. Professor Reinhartz was awarded the Konrad Adenauer Research Prize, given to one Canadian researcher annually by the Humboldt Foundation (Germany) in 2021.

  • Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing

Recognized as the international authority in advancing the science of supporting patients’ involvement in healthcare decisions, Dr. Stacey has changed practice and policy informed by synthesizing evidence on effective interventions and developing standards for translating scientific knowledge into user-friendly decision tools and implementation resources. These tools and resources have directly influenced health policy in Canada and around the world.

Selection procedure

The nomination process will be open, with requests for nominations coming from all members of the University community. A candidate may not apply on his or her own behalf. Members of the Selection Committee may not submit nominations.

A nominee will have demonstrated:

  • remarkable scholarly achievement at the University,
  • pre-eminence in a particular field or fields of knowledge, and
  • a solid teaching record. Nominees must also have well represented and acted as ambassadors of the University’s mission, vision and values in the various aspects of their career at the University of Ottawa.

Nominations (one unbound original) will be addressed to the Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs, chair of the Selection Committee, and must include:

  • a nomination proposal of no more than three pages, signed by six professors from at least two academic units of the University, justifying the nomination and their choice and specifically addressing those three points outlined in 2 above. The proposal will also be signed by the community members who nominated the candidate, if they are not professors;
  • four external letters of recommendation addressed directly to the attention of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs and signed by scholars of international standing in the nominee’s field, preferably scholars who have never collaborated with the nominee;
  • a condensed and up-to-date curriculum vitae (max 5 pages) outlining the nominee’s body of work and highlighting his/her ten most significant scholarly publications;
  • a short (max 1 page) non-technical description of the nominee’s contribution to his or her field of expertise and teaching.

The Selection Committee will comprise six internal University of Ottawa members and two members from other universities. The membership of the committee will be made up of distinguished scholars and will be as broadly based as possible.

The Selection Committee will be appointed by the Joint Committee of the Senate and the Board of Governors, on the recommendation of the President.

The Selection Committee will narrow down the initial applications. It may request reports on each nominee from such additional outside referees as it believes are warranted. The final selection will be made by consensus after all documentation has been considered.

The Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs, on behalf of the Selection Committee, will present the recommendations for the title of Distinguished University Professor to the President and to the Joint Committee of Board and Senate for consideration.

Nominations may be held active for up to three years. Nominators are responsible for providing an updated dossier in each year that the application is under consideration.

No candidate may be nominated a second time until at least two years have elapsed since the last consideration by the committee.

The number of full-time permanent Distinguished University Professors will be no more than 25.

A modest fund for research will be provided to each Distinguished University Professor for the first five years of the designation.

A Distinguished University Professor will retain the title on retirement.

Distinguished University Professors will receive special recognition at convocation and, given their status as role models within the institution, should play a visible role in the formal affairs of the University.