Distinguished professor is an academic title given to some top-tenured professors in a university, school, or department.
Some distinguished professors may have endowed chairs.
[1] Some institutions grant more university-specific, formal titles such as M.I.T.
Some academic and/or scholarly organizations may also bestow the title "distinguished professor" in recognition of achievement over the course of an academic career.
For example, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture annually recognizes up to five faculty members at architecture schools in the United States and Canada with the ACSA Distinguished Professor Award.