Ithaca College

Submitted on behalf of Benjamin Rifkin, Provost & Vice President for Educational Affairs

The Ithaca College Dana Professorship recognizes excellence among excellence. Thanks to the Charles A. Dana Foundation’s generosity and foresight, Dana Professorships are awarded to selected Ithaca College full professors who have demonstrated a continued record of excellence as well as a promise of outstanding future contributions in teaching, professional endeavor in their area of specialty, and service to college and community. Dana Professors serve as role models and mentors for faculty and students, freely sharing their leadership, expertise, advice and experience with the College’s community and others who seek it. Towards this end, the Dana Professors’ activities reflect positively on and enhance the College’s national and international reputation as a center for academic and artistic inquiry.  

The terms of the Dana Professorship were renegotiated and approved by the Executive Committee of the Dana Foundation on February 2, 2016, allowing Ithaca College to alter the program from one based on life-time professorship appointments to five-year terms. While the Ithaca College selection committee will consist of one representative from each School, the award winners will be the best candidates in the pool in any given year, regardless of School. This is consistent with the Dana Foundation’s wishes. The College must still notify the foundation in advance of any new professorship appointment but will still “have complete freedom in the selection of the person named.”

Dana Professorships are awarded for five-year terms. Dana Professors may reapply for the award at the end of their term. Candidates must be full professors at the time of application and at any stage of their career, though the program actively encourages newly appointed full professors to apply. Candidates’ primary area of responsibility at the College must be teaching, with a minimum of six credits per semester.

Candidates for this year’s Dana Professorship selection process must submit their applications by May 18 at 5 pm, preferably in hard copy, to Peter Rothbart, Chair of Faculty Council, School of Music Room 4207.  Faculty who are away from campus may submit electronically by arrangement with Peter Rothbart at least two days prior to the deadline (rothbart@ithaca.edu).  A committee consisting of one representative from each School (to be selected by the School’s own internal process) will review applications and make selections, subject to approval by the Provost.  It is understood that the Provost will support the committee’s decision unless significant procedural irregularities emerge or the terms of the award have been changed by the Dana Foundation.

Members of the currently active selection committee and their relatives may not apply for the award while they serve on the committee. Relatives are persons related by blood, marriage, or legal procedure and include parents, children, husbands, wives, siblings, first cousins, and in-laws or "step" relatives, and any of the foregoing's uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, grandparents and grandchildren.

Full information about this opportunity, including the application and criteria for selection, will be posted by Monday, May 9, 2016 to the Provost’s website at ithaca.edu/provost/facultyinfo.