Welcome from the Chair

Dear Students, Future Students, Alumni, Colleagues, Friends, and Family …

Please allow me to introduce myself, and welcome you to the Department of History at Texas Tech University!

The History Department has been my academic home since I arrived as an Assistant Professor in 2011, and I have been thrilled to serve as Chair since 2023. I am very proud of our department, of our faculty, staff, and students, and I can't wait to share it with you. 

Our department is composed of award-winning scholars and teachers, who consistently publish ground-breaking research with some of the best presses in the world. We routinely serve more than 5,000 undergraduate students each semester, nearly 200 of whom are majors, with an additional 300 minors and area concentrations. Our graduate program is robust, with nearly 75 students, the majority of whom receive full-time funding. Additionally, we recently launched a brand-new online MA program, so now for the first time, students can pursue a Texas Tech Master's in History from anywhere. 

My mission statement for the department is “creating knowledge for the public good.” I strongly believe that through our classes and our research, our department is contributing to the public good by creating more informed citizens and more engaged readers. My hope for students entering our classrooms is that they are open to learning about the broad range of history—in all its complexity and diversity—so that when they leave our classrooms, they have a deeper understanding of the world around them. Undergraduate and graduate students have an incredible range of experiences at their fingertips when they enroll in our classes, from working closely with faculty on research projects, to deep discussions with their classmates, to study abroad programs. In short, the Department of History offers an engaging, immersive, and transformative experience for students. 

I am so glad you are here. Please never hesitate to contact me should you have any questions about our program. I am here to help.

Sincerely,

Dr. Emily Skidmore
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of History
Texas Tech University