The Distinguished Professor Award was established in 1986 to recognize and reward faculty members who have achieved national and international distinction. Awardees receive a plaque and an increase in their base salary. This award is administered through the Office of Faculty Affairs.
2025 Recipient
Louis Kavouras
Chair, Department of Dance
College of Fine Arts
Mr. Kavouras has served as department chair for more than 30 years. A professional modern dancer and choreographer, he is a scholar in the area of dance, aesthetic philosophy, and dance kinesiology. Under his extraordinary leadership and dedication, UNLV’s Department of Dance has been recognized as one of the top ten dance programs in the nation. His nominators describe him as a brilliant visionary who greatly enhances the life of the College of Fine Arts and UNLV on many levels.
Past Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Brian Hedlund | School of Life Sciences |
| 2023 | Francis Cucinotta | Department of Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences |
| 2022 | Nancy Rapoport | Boyd School of Law |
| 2021 | Bradley Donohue | Department of Psychology |
| 2020 | Bing Zhang | Department of Physics & Astronomy |
| 2019 | Daniel Allen | Department of Psychology |
| 2018 | Kwang Kim | Department of Mechanical Engineering |
| 2018 | Debra Martin | Department of Anthropology |
| 2018 | Gabriele Wulf | Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences |
| 2013 | Dennis Lindle | Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry |
| 2011 | Christopher Kearney | Department of Psychology |
| 2010 | Alan Simmons | Department of Anthropology |
| 2008 | Thomas Wright | Department of History |
| 2006 | Hal Rothman | Department of History |
| 2004 | Robert Boehm | Department of Mechanical Engineering |
| 2003 | Joseph(“Andy”) Fry | Department of History |
| 2002 | Martha Knack | Department of Anthropology |
| 2002 | Mark Weinstein | Department of English |
| 2000 | Virko Baley | Department of Music |
| 1998 | Catherine Bellver | Department of World Languages and Cultures |
| 1998 | Joseph McCullough | Department of English |
| 1996 | Darlene Unrue | Department of English |
| 1995 | Lawrence Golding | Department of Kinesiology |
| 1991 | Maurice Finocchiaro | Department of Philosophy |
| 1990 | Mohamed Yousef | Department of Biological Sciences |
| 1989 | Marie France Hilgar | Department of Foreign Languages |
| 1988 | James Deacon | Department of Environmental and Public Affairs |
| 1987 | Sheilagh Brooks | Department of Anthropology |