Distinguished Professorships
For more than four decades, the Jefferson Scholars Foundation has served a mission to identify, attract, and nurture individuals of extraordinary intellectual range and depth who aim to enhance the University community.
In 2012, the Foundation underscored this mission by launching the Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished Professorship Program. Designed to help UVA attract the world’s most outstanding professors, the Distinguished Professorship Program supports nationally and internationally recognized scholars and leaders in their fields, known for their superior abilities as both classroom teachers and innovative researchers. Having secured approximately $195 million to support this effort, the Foundation has been able to attract outstanding talent to the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Education and Human Development, the Darden School of Business, the Law School, the McIntire School of Commerce, and the School of Medicine.
Meet the professors
“Our hope is that these professorships will allow the university to attract a community of leading scholars and teachers—people who are not only superior classroom teachers but also outstanding researchers. The impact they will have on our students and on the university as a whole is going to be significant.”
Jimmy Wright, President, Jefferson Scholars Foundation
The University and the Foundation expect the holders of the Professorships to be:
- Nationally and internationally recognized scholars and leaders
- Superior classroom teachers who are eager to engage with students
- Dynamic lecturers
- Leading-edge researchers in their fields
- Willing to participate actively in the Foundation community by serving on selection committees, attending Foundation events, and helping the Foundation recruit Scholars and Fellows
- Individuals whose presence on the faculty will help attract other outstanding colleagues to UVA
- Individuals who embrace interdisciplinary collaboration and recognize its value to the creation of new knowledge
- Active in, and involved citizens of, the University community
