Colin Gordon named 2026 UI Distinguished Chair

Colin Gordon, professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been named the 2026 University of Iowa Distinguished Chair.

The UI Distinguished Chair is one of the highest honors bestowed on faculty at Iowa. It recognizes tenured scholars of national and international distinction whose work in research, teaching, and service strengthens the university's mission and advances impact across Iowa and beyond. Recipients receive additional resources to support and expand their scholarly and creative activities. In addition, awardees hold the title of UI Distinguished Chair for the duration of their faculty appointment at Iowa.

"The UI Distinguished Chair award provides an opportunity to recognize some of the most exceptional members of our faculty," says Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost. "Professor Gordon's scholarship has had a meaningful impact within his field and beyond, and his commitment to teaching and public engagement reflects the best of our public research mission."

Gordon is a nationally recognized historian of American public policy and political economy whose research has helped reshape the field. Beyond his scholarship, he actively engages public audiences and is deeply committed to student learning.

During his more than 30 years at Iowa, Gordon has become nationally and internationally recognized for his work on how public policy has shaped American cities and suburbs. He is the author of five major books - which include Mapping Decline, Citizen Brown, and Patchwork Apartheid - combine archival research, data analysis, and mapping technology, to examine housing policy, local government decisions, and economic change. His work has deepened the understanding of urban development, racial segregation, and regional inequality. His research has been supported by awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation.

Gordon also is recognized for connecting historical research with today's policy conversations. He has analyzed economic and social conditions in Iowa, advised statewide policy organizations, and served as an expert in major legal cases. His digital humanities projects - many created with students - make complex historical data accessible to policymakers, educators, and community members. In the classroom, his students conduct original research on community history, urban development, and public policy.

"Colin's exceptional contributions to the Department of History, the college, the university, and the broader national and international community are truly outstanding," says Sara Sanders, dean of CLAS and UI Alumni Association Dean's Chair in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. "Together, these achievements exemplify the excellence, public mission, and scholarly distinction recognized by the University of Iowa's most prestigious honors."

Previous recipients, UI Distinguished Chair

• Saba Rasheed Ali, associate dean for research and professor of counseling psychology, College of Education (2025)
• Paul A. Romitti, professor of epidemiology, College of Public Health (2025)
• Amy Colbert, professor of management and entrepreneurship, Tippie College of Business (2024)
• Kenneth Tse, professor of saxophone, School of Music, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (2024)
• Mark Blumberg, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences chair and professor, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (2023)
• Keri Hornbuckle, professor of engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering (2023)
• Lea VanderVelde, professor of law and the Josephine R. Witte Chair, College of Law (2022)
• Peter Thorne, professor of occupational and environmental health, College of Public Health (2022)
• Stanley Perlman, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Carver College of Medicine (2021)
• Michelle Scherer, professor of civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering (2021)
• Corinne Peek-Asa, professor, College of Public Health (2020)
• Caroline Tolbert, professor of political science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (2020)