On October 16, 2025, the University of Michigan Regents approved the appointment of Christian Davenport as a Distinguished University Professor. This distinction is the University’s most prestigious professorship, which recognizes senior faculty who have exceptional scholarly achievements, a national reputation for academic excellence, and a superior record of teaching, mentoring, and service.
Each professorship bears a name determined by the appointed professor in consultation with their dean. Davenport selected the title, Charles Tilly Distinguished University Professor of Political Science. He is also the Mary Ann and Charles R. Walgreen Jr. Professor for the Study of Human Understanding, and professor of political science, LSA; professor of public policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy; and faculty associate, Center for Political Studies, Institute for Social Research.
Since joining U-M in 2012, Davenport has produced an expansive body of research examining the dynamics of state power, dissent, and the interplay between institutions and collective action. His scholarship spans topics including genocide, protest policing, racialized repression and the life cycles of government coercion.
His work has been cited 12,000 times, he has published five influential books, and he received the 2020 Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza Prize for Democracy from the International Women’s Network for Democracy and Peace.
“Professor Davenport’s work is characterized by a blend of rigor and accessibility, contributing significantly both to scholarly discourse and policymaking, garnering global recognition,” wrote McCauley and Solomon.
The Board of Regents also approved the appointments for Juan R. Cole, Kathryn M. Dominguez, John Jonides, Kenneth M. Langa and Anna G. Stefanopoulou. The appointments began Sept. 1, 2025, and will last throughout the recipient’s period of active service at the university and may be retained after retirement.
Excerpts from a story by Genevieve Monsma in the University Record