Regents’ titles represent well-sustained achievement at the level of excellence required for the BOR designation. Faculty members with Regents’ titles serve as ambassadors for the Institute, showcasing the depth and quality of work and research conducted within our academic community.  

Nominees for Regents' titles must demonstrate exceptional scholarly achievements and contribute significantly to their respective fields. When considering faculty nominations for the Regents' titles, the following general expectations should be met:

• Mission Alignment: Nominees must demonstrate significant contributions to the missions of the Institute (including instruction, research, service, and student success) as appropriate to the Regents' title being considered.
• Sustained Excellence: Nominees should have a record of sustained excellence, as evidenced by significant contributions to research and/or education over an extended period.
• Impactful Scholarship: The scholarly work conducted by nominees should have a demonstrable impact, whether through groundbreaking discoveries, innovative methodologies, transformative insights, or other means.
• National and International Recognition: Nominees should have garnered recognition beyond the Institute, receiving prestigious awards, honors, and invitations to present their work at renowned conferences or institutions, as appropriate to the Regents' title being considered.
• Leadership and Collaboration: Nominees should exhibit leadership in endeavors, foster collaboration within and outside the Institute, mentor junior scholars, and advance their fields, as appropriate to the Regents' title being considered.

The Regents’ Entrepreneur “designation may be granted by the Board of Regents to an outstanding full-time tenured faculty member who has an established reputation as a successful innovator and who has taken their research into a commercial setting” (BOR Policy Manual 8.3.2.2).  

The Regents’ Professor designation may be granted by the BOR to an outstanding full-time tenured faculty member who has an established reputation as a successful scholar and educator (BOR Policy Manual 8.3.2).  

The Regents’ Researcher designation may be granted by the BOR to an outstanding full-time faculty member who has an established reputation as a successful researcher (BOR Policy Manual 8.3.2.1).  

The Regents’ Innovator designation may be granted by the BOR to outstanding full-time tenured faculty to “allow time away from their full-time faculty duties to focus on beginning or growing companies that commercialize a faculty member’s research” (BOR Policy Manual 8.3.2.2). Regents’ Innovator titles are directly tied to the Regents’ Innovator Leaves of Absence. 

Detailed information can be found in the Guidance on Regents’ Titles and the Regents’ Selection Committee document.

Selection Committee

The Regents’ Selection Committee is comprised of distinguished faculty members with a goal of ensuring a fair and transparent selection process. The Regents’ Selection Committee reviews nominations, evaluates candidates based on established criteria, and recommends recipients to the Provost, EVPR, and President for consideration. 

Regents’ Selection Committee members serve two-year, staggered terms. Members are appointed by the President, upon recommendation from the faculty member’s Dean, EVPR, or the GTRI Director. As senior and accomplished scholars, committee members typically have been recognized formally by the Institute and/or their peers (e.g., Regents’ Entrepreneur, Regents’ Professor, Regents’ Researcher, endowed chair holder, national academies member, etc.). Each year, the committee elects a chair. 

Representatives abstain from voting on nominees from their colleges/units. A majority vote of the committee is necessary for a nominee to be forwarded to the Provost, EVPR, and President for consideration. 

Nomination packages for Regents’ Entrepreneur, Professor, and Researcher are accepted each year in the fall, with an annual submission deadline of December 15. Each Dean/VP may forward the number of nominations for faculty members meeting the selection criteria for each title described above, in line with the caps listed in the guidance document. In the case of a jointly appointed faculty member, the primary unit is responsible for submitting the nomination, which is counted as part of that Dean’s/VP’s cap; however, the primary unit must coordinate with the secondary unit on the nomination. 

Nomination and Selection Process

Nomination packages should include: 

• A nomination letter from the nominee’s direct supervisor (e.g., Dean, School Chair, Lab Director, VP, as applicable); 
• A summary of accomplishments, with specific emphasis on the criteria to be used for the evaluation; 
• A one-paragraph biographical sketch; and 
• A current CV. 

Nomination packages are submitted in a format and to a site specified by OFA. Additionally, nominees for all Regents’ titles must be full-time faculty members not currently on an approved leave of absence.  

The Regents’ Selection Committee reviews the submitted nomination packages, considers each nominee's strengths, and recommends nominees receiving a majority-positive vote to the Provost, EVPR, and President.  

The Provost, EVPR, and President review the committee’s recommendations. Per BOR policy, nomination of a faculty member to the Board of Regents for consideration requires unanimous recommendation by the President, the Chief Academic Officer, the appropriate academic Dean, and at least three faculty committee members. Because of Georgia Tech’s specific leadership structure, the EVPR, as the chief research officer, is included in parallel with the Provost, as the chief academic officer, in the process. Further, the Director of GTRI is included in the place of an academic Dean for research faculty employed by GTRI. 

Regents' Innovator

Nominations for Regents’ Innovator title shall only be started in conjunction with a request for a Regents’ Innovator Leave of Absence. Nominations for Regents’ Innovator titles are accepted each year in the fall and the spring, with biannual submission deadlines of September 1 and February 1. The nomination package should include: 

• A nomination letter from the nominee’s direct supervisor (e.g., Dean, School Chair, Lab Director, as applicable); 
• A summary of accomplishments, with specific emphasis on the criteria to be used for the evaluation; 
• A one-paragraph biographical sketch;  
• Leave of absence form; and 
• A current CV specifically emphasizing accomplished and anticipated commercialization and entrepreneurial activities. 

The Provost, EVPR, and President review submissions for the Regents’ Innovator title and forward their recommendations to the BOR/Chancellor for approval. Once all materials have been received and reviewed, OFA notifies the school and college of the request status.  

Please note that the Regents’ Innovator title and leave are contingent upon multiple BOR/Chancellor approval processes, and as such, leave start dates must be at least four months after the package submission date.