A dive into the enduring impact of named professorships

Read the full story for The University Record here.

When the Board of Regents approved Connie Sung as the first Annmarie Hawkins Research Professor in Disability Justice on June 12, 2025, it was noteworthy on several levels.

For Sung, who joined the School of Social Work in January and is a rehabilitation counselor and researcher known for community-based work to empower individuals with disabilities, the appointment recognized decades of achievement.

For the Hawkins family, it ensured that Annmarie Hawkins’s long career as a disability justice advocate would continue to influence future generations through University of Michigan research.

Named professorships, a tradition at U-M for more than 100 years, play a critical role in nurturing research, perpetuating the values of their namesakes, and enabling the work done at the university to make a lasting difference.

“Annmarie Hawkins has been a true change agent for disability justice across four decades of service and impact,” said Neil Hawkins, Annmarie’s husband. “Her advocacy and service for people with disabilities has made a significant difference for thousands of people. This research professorship in her honor has real potential to extend her impact through the work of Dr. Sung and the University of Michigan.” 

The Annmarie Hawkins Professorship is also distinctive in structure. Unlike most donor-funded professorships, it is not endowed. Instead, it is something called a term professorship, funded by expendable gifts that support the role for up to five years. At the end of the term, the professorship expires unless the donor renews or expands the commitment.

“While many of Michigan’s named professorships are endowed, term professorships are becoming a useful option,” said Conor Neville, director of campaign operations in the Office of University Development. “They allow donors to make an immediate impact without the restrictions of an endowed professorship or its $1 million minimum contribution.”

“We are grateful that the Hawkins family has decided to fund a term professorship at the School of Social Work in Annmarie’s honor,” said Beth Angell, dean of the School of Social Work. “All professorships, expendable or endowed, help us to recruit and retain top talent.”