As part of the Kosove endowment, Harri and Ruth designated funds to create a professorship to recognize USF professors whose careers have brought them national distinction in teaching and service.
In 2010, the Kosove society and the Kosove alumni began the initial stages of bringing this professorship to fruition. The alumni board spent many months drafting the award criteria and an application. Furthermore, the board decided to create two awards; one to recognize undergraduate teaching and one to recognize graduate teaching. Next, the board needed to find a permanent home for the two awards, a USF governing body who was capable of soliciting applications, screening nominees, and ultimately nominating a recipient to be approved by the USF Provost’s office on a permanent basis. A Kosove alumnus and board member, Heather Agazzi, serves as a USF Faculty Senator representing the College of Medicine. She introduced the idea of the Kosove Professorship to the Faculty Senate, Senate Executive Committee as a potential award for their Honors and Awards Council (HAC) to administer. In the spring of 2012, the HAC unanimously approved to award the Kosove Professorship alongside other prestigious professorships administered through this governing body. The HAC worked collaboratively with the Kosove Society to finalize the award criteria and application, and in May 2013 the first two professorships were named.