Thomas C. Wright, a member of the history department faculty at UNLV, has been named a distinguished professor, the university's highest faculty honor.

The designation of distinguished professor is based on the recommendation of a university committee and is not made every year. The honor is granted after very serious consideration of a highly select group of faculty. Nominees must have demonstrated extraordinary qualities both as teachers and scholars, and must have achieved national and international recognition in their fields of study.

"It is a truly great honor to have my work recognized by distinguished colleagues from diverse disciplines across the campus," Wright said.

Since joining the UNLV faculty in 1972, Wright has developed and taught numerous courses in Latin American history, serving as both chair of the history department and dean of the College of Arts and Letters. Through his scholarship, Wright has studied 20th century Latin American history, including economic and social conditions, political developments, revolution, and human rights. Wright is the author of three books, the co-editor or co-author of three additional volumes, the author or co-author of twenty articles and chapters, and has been a featured presenter at conferences and workshops around the nation and the world. Two of his books have been published in Spanish translation. Additionally, Wright has been a contributing editor and author of the Chile-Bolivia section in four volumes of the prestigious Handbook of Latin American Studies published by the Library of Congress.

During his tenure as dean of the College of Arts and Letters (1983-1989), Wright established a number of programs and policies that remain in place today, including the popular University Forum Lecture Series, the University Forum Scholarship, the Center for Advanced Research, and the use of outside referees in promotions to full professor. His emphasis on research and publication helped set the tone and direction that the university has pursued over the last two decades.

Wright was named a Barrick Distinguished Scholar in 2005 and received the E. Bradley Burn Distinguished Service Award from the Pacific Coast Council on Latin American Studies in 2001, among many other campus, professional, and community honors. His 2007 book, "State Terrorism in Latin America: Chile, Argentina, and International Human Rights," received the Frank F. McGann Memorial Prize for outstanding book on Latin America.

Wright received his bachelor's degree in history from Pomona College, and his master's and doctorate degrees in history from University of California at Berkeley.