Kohn, Wiklund, Wilmoth Named Distinguished Professors

Three Syracuse University faculty members have been named Distinguished Professors, one of the University’s highest honors. The designation is granted by the Board of Trustees to faculty who have achieved exceptionally distinguished stature in their academic specialties.

The newly named Distinguished Professors are Nina Kohn, David M. Levy Professor of Law in the College of Law; Johan Wiklund, Al Berg Chair and professor of entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, and Janet Wilmoth, professor of sociology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

“Through their research and scholarship, these professors are a key part of the vibrant academic community here on campus, and this honor is well-deserved,” says Interim Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Lois Agnew. “Just as important, they are making real and important contributions to society, with work that has the potential to change people’s lives.”

Candidates are nominated by their deans and reviewed by the vice provost/faculty affairs, who seeks input from external referees and a committee of Distinguished or University Professors. Formal nomination packets are then reviewed by the vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer and the vice president for research before being forwarded to the Board of Trustees.

Nina Kohn

Kohn is an internationally recognized leader in elder law, known for prolific, impactful work in the areas of guardianship, long-term care, advance planning, decision-making in the face of incapacity and elder abuse. She is the author of “Elder Law: Practice, Policy & Problems,” the leading text in her field, and has helped shape elder law-related legislation through her involvement with the Uniform Law Commission.

Kohn’s work centers on the civil rights of older adults, and she has a strong scholarly presence in health law. She is a member of the American Law Institute.

Kohn joined the Syracuse faculty in 2005 and has served in multiple leadership roles, including associate dean for research, associate dean for online education and faculty director of online education.

Johan Wiklund

Wiklund is an internationally recognized leader in the study of entrepreneurship, having transformed the field through attention to neurodiversity and well-being, among other topics. He is widely praised for his ability to anticipate emerging trends and his willingness to take risks in his work as a journal editor.

In 2022, Wiklund was recognized as the third most-published entrepreneurship scholar in the world and as being among the top 2% most impactful researchers globally. His scholarship has won multiple awards, particularly from the Academy of Management, and he has also been honored for mentoring both graduate students and early-career scholars.

Wiklund joined the Syracuse faculty in 2008 and has held several honorific titles at universities in the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Australia and Sweden. He has also served in multiple leadership roles, including as editor-in-chief of the flagship journal Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice and as associate editor or board member at a number of academic journals.

Janet Wilmoth

Wilmoth is director of the Aging Studies Institute and a leading scholar on the relationship between veteran status and aging. She is best known for her work on living arrangements in later life and the well-being of veterans, especially the unique impacts of military service on health. Wilmoth’s scholarship laid the foundation for approaching veteran status as the “hidden variable” in aging research.

Wilmoth is widely published in the top journals in her field and has secured significant external funding. She has held national-level leadership positions in the American Sociological Association and the Gerontological Society of America.

Wilmoth joined the Syracuse faculty in 2002 and has served in several leadership positions on campus, including director of the Gerontology Center and chair of the Department of Sociology.