Professorships

Stipend: $5,000 | Discipline: Open | Position: Full Professor

Willa Cather and Charles Bessey professorships were established in 2001 by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to recognize faculty members with the rank of full professor who have established exceptional records of distinguished scholarship or creative activity. Normally, successful nominees for this professorship will have at least three years in rank as a full professor before being nominated. Individuals awarded the professorship may elect either the Cather or Bessey designation. They are known as Cather or Bessey professors and professor of (field). Beginning in 2024-25, this professorship was awarded as a non-renewable professorship with a five-year term. Holders are eligible to be re-nominated at the end of the five-year term. This change does not apply to professorships awarded prior to 2024-25.

Stipend: $5,000 | Discipline: Open | Position: Full Professor

John E. Weaver and Aaron Douglas Professorships for Teaching Excellence were established in 2008 by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to recognize faculty members with the rank of full professor who demonstrate sustained and extraordinary levels of teaching excellence and national visibility for instructional activities and/or practice. Nominees must have at least three years in rank as a full professor before being nominated in order to be considered for the professorship. Individuals awarded the professorship may elect either the Douglas or Weaver designation. They are known as Weaver or Douglas professors and professor of (field). Beginning in 2024-25, this professorship was awarded as a non-renewable professorship with a five-year term. Holders are eligible to be re-nominated at the end of the five-year term. This change does not apply to professorships awarded prior to 2024-25.

Stipend: $3,000 | Discipline: Open | Position: Associate Professor

The Susan J. Rosowski Professorship recognizes faculty at the associate professor level for their contributions in research and teaching, who show exceptional promise for future excellence, and who have achieved distinguished records of scholarship or creative activity. Normally, successful nominees for this professorship will have at least two years in rank as an associate professor before being nominated. A faculty member at the rank of associate professor may not be nominated during the same year they are being reviewed for promotion to full professor. The five-year, one-time appointment professorship carries a $3,000 annual stipend.

Stipend: $15,000 | Discipline: Open | Position: Full Professor

George W. Holmes University Professorships are supported by the University of Nebraska Foundation from the estate of George W. Holmes, a prominent Lincoln businessman, civic leader and philanthropist in the 1920s. Holmes was the nephew of one of Lincoln's earliest businessmen, Silas Burnham, president of First National Bank. In 1911, Holmes was the originating secretary/general manager and later president of the First Trust Co., was a director of Beatrice Foods and the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. In the 1920s, Holmes' bank guaranteed the loans that allowed the construction of Memorial Stadium. Holmes gave the city a tract of land upon which was built Holmes School, which honored his mother. The family name also lives on in Lincoln's Holmes Park, Holmes Lake and Holmes Golf Course.

Stipend: $15,000 | Discipline: Open | Position: Full Professor

The Paula and D.B. Varner University professorship was established in 1986 by the Nebraska University Foundation’s Executive Committee to recognize faculty members with the rank of full professor who has earned distinction as a teacher-scholar and who has demonstrated loyalty to the University through an extended period of distinguished service. The professorship, which carries a $15,000 stipend, is awarded for five-year terms and appointments may be renewed following review in the fifth year.

The professorship was established to honor Paula and D.B. Varner upon Mr. Varner's retirement as chairman of the Foundation. Mr. Varner headed the NU system for seven years before becoming its chief fundraiser. When he arrived in Nebraska from Michigan in 1970 to assume the reins of NU System Administration, the CEO position was titled chancellor. Soon, the title was switched to president. He left that position in 1977 and became chairman of the NU Foundation until his official retirement in 1987.

Stipend: $15,000 | Discipline: Chemistry | Position: Full Professor

The James Hewett University Professorship was established in 1998 by a gift from James and Kathryn Hewett to recognize and provide necessary funding to support a professor in the Chemistry department at UNL. The professorship, which carries a $15,000 stipend, is awarded for five-year terms and appointments may be renewed following review in the fifth year.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from NU and his master’s degree and doctorate from Purdue, James Hewett worked at DuPont for the majority of his career. He believed that his undergraduate professors provided him with thought processes that helped him supervise development projects for products such as Lycra and Nomex fibers. Hewett’s group also developed the composition, structure, and manufacturing process for the hollow filament barriers used in Permasep, a reverse osmosis permeator for water desalination.

Stipend: $15,000 | Discipline: English | Position: Full Professor

The Hillegass University Professorship was established by the Cliffs Charitable Foundation to provide funding for the department of English in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln by offering a selected professor an annual salary stipend as well as research and program support.

In 1958, Cliff Hillegass founded Cliffs Notes with a $4,000 loan and a unique idea. He began creating study guides in the basement of his Lincoln home. Almost immediately the guides became a hit and the company grew. His success has continued during the past 40 years. In 1992, the NU Foundation received the first gift from the Cliffs Charitable Foundation. This contribution of $52,000 funded many projects at UNL, ranging from a writing project in the department of English to a scholarship for gymnastics students. Although the Hillegasses gave more than $250,000 to the NU Foundation before the establishment of the Cliffs Charitable Foundation, this gift further symbolized their commitment to education and the University, a commitment that still stands as they serve as NU Foundation trustees.

Stipend: Varies | Discipline: Open | Position: Full Professor

The Kate Foster Professorship was established in the 1970s through a gift by Foster’s estate to provide support for scholarly research and creative activities. Foster earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin in 1906 and a Master of Arts in Latin 1909 from the University of Nebraska. She went on to teach high school in Nebraska and Wyoming. During her time at NU, she was a member of the Latin Club. She was also an alumnae member of Kappa Delta Sorority and a member of the Nebraska Women’s Educational Club.