Andrew Jackson and Christopher Witmore were named Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professors in February at Texas Tech University’s Board of Regents meeting in Dallas, according to a Mar. 30 announcement.
The Horn Distinguished Professor title is the highest academic honor given to faculty at Texas Tech University. It recognizes individuals who have achieved national or international prominence in their research or creative work.
Provost and Senior Vice President Ron Hendrick said, “It is with deep appreciation that I recognize this year’s Distinguished Horn Professors for their extraordinary contributions to Texas Tech. Their commitment to academic excellence, mentorship and the pursuit of knowledge inspires our community, and their leadership in advancing research and engagement reflects the very best of our institution.”
Andrew Jackson joined the Department of Civil, Environmental & Construction Engineering at Texas Tech in 1998. He holds degrees from Rhodes College and Louisiana State University, has over 6,900 research citations, and has contributed significant research on environmental challenges including federal studies on perchlorate effects in West Texas and NASA water treatment systems for space exploration. Jackson said, “Being named a Horn Distinguished Professor has been a professional dream of mine… So, to now see my name on this list – it’s a dream realized.” He also spoke about the collaborative culture within his department: “The faculty who work here have such a willingness to collaborate,” he said.
Christopher Witmore joined Texas Tech as an assistant professor in 2009 after completing his postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University. He teaches archaeology and classics within the College of Arts & Sciences. With degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Sheffield, and Stanford University, Witmore’s research covers agrarianism, archaeological theory, chorography, material culture studies among other topics; he has published five books with more than 80 additional publications including an op-ed in The New York Times. “Archaeology offers a rare purpose: to work with the myriad memories of other times that have gathered in our present; to draw lessons from them…and to better understand what it means to be a part of the human adventure across deep time,” Witmore said.
The Horn Distinguished Professorship was established by the Board of Regents in 1966 as recognition for scholarly achievement and service at Texas Tech. Since then, nominations are made confidentially by college deans or current honorees; so far there have been 102 appointments approved.
