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This award recognizes field-shaping faculty at any stage in their post-tenure career at the University of Minnesota—especially those who have made significant advances in their careers at the University of Minnesota, whose national and international work and reputation has been identified as having helped define the trajectory of one or more academic fields, and whose accomplishments have brought great renown and prestige to Minnesota.

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The McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair and the McKnight Presidential Endowed Professorship are among the highest honors for faculty at the University. Recipients are recommended by their college dean and chosen at the discretion of the president based, in part, on their academic and research accomplishments and their contributions to advancing the University among its peers.

The McKnight Presidential Fellows Program is a three-year award given to the most promising individuals who have been granted both tenure and promotion to associate professor in an academic year. It recognizes recipients who are recommended by their college dean and chosen at the discretion of the executive vice president and provost based on excellence in research and scholarship, leadership, potential to build top-tier programs, and ability to advance University of Minnesota priorities.

The Distinguished McKnight University Professorship program recognizes outstanding faculty members who have recently achieved full professor status. Recipients hold the title “Distinguished McKnight University Professor” for as long as they remain employed at the University of Minnesota.

The goal of the McKnight Land-Grant Professorship Program is to advance the careers of assistant professors at a crucial point in their professional lives. The designation of “McKnight Land-Grant Professor” is held by recipients for a two-year period. Nomination instructions for 2023-25 awards are available here. 

Since 1998-1999, the University of Minnesota has recognized a select group of faculty members for their outstanding contributions to graduate and/or professional education. This honor is awarded annually to exceptional candidates nominated by their colleges in their quest to identify excellence in graduate and/or professional education. In addition to honoring individual faculty members, the award contributes to the improvement of graduate and professional education at the University by publicizing their work to serve as resources to the whole faculty.

University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education