Community, Family, and Addiction Sciences Faculty Named ARHE President

Advocating for Collegiate Recovery: Thomas Kimball, LMFT, Ph.D.

Thomas Kimball, LMFT, Ph.D., was recently inducted as the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE) President. This prestigious national association is made up of universities across the nation who have collegiate recovery communities, like Texas Tech University. Dr. Kimball serves as Professor in the Community Family and Addiction Sciences (CFAS) department and the Director of the Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities (CRC) on campus.

The mission of ARHE is to empower collegiate recovery programs and professionals to support students in recovery through its strategic approaches. Together the 130 institutional members work to develop and sustain programs as well as collaborate and advocate for the field.

Dr. Kimball has 10 years of service with ARHE and was also selected for the ARHE Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. Dr. Kimball was officially inducted as ARHE President in July at the ARHE conference.

Dr. Kimball says he most looks forward working with the great people of ARHE and is excited about the growth of the organization and collegiate recovery.

"It is an honor for me to serve on the board of ARHE and as president," Dr. Kimball said. "I love the collegiate recovery field and I love my association with so many great people. The Lifetime Achievement Award was a big surprise and I feel humbled that my colleagues would recognize me in this way."

He says that the most important component in his role as ARHE President is to push every university to have a collegiate recovery program in order to help as many students in recovery excel in academics and life.

Dr. Kimball will serve as president until the summer of 2020. Until that time, he will continue to work with the executive director of ARHE and the board to facilitate growth and work towards setting standards for the field. Another part of the role will provide educational opportunities for professionals in the field.

"One of our biggest endeavors is an annual conference held in the summer," Dr. Kimball said. "This last summer we had a very successful national conference in Boston and this coming summer we will be in San Diego."

CFAS Department Chairperson, Sterling Shumway, Ph.D., LMFT, notes that Dr. Kimball's efforts help bring national attention to the collegiate recovery efforts at Texas Tech and beyond.

"Dr. Kimball's work in the arena of addiction recovery is both amazing and has broad impact in the lives of many who struggle with addiction and the process of recovery," Dr. Shumway said. "Serving as the President of ARHE is an effort that goes above and beyond the mark as he brings national and international attention to issues related to collegiate recovery communities in campuses across the country."

Associate Chairperson, Nichole Morelock, Ph.D., LMFT, says that Dr. Kimball lives and breathes student recovery, not only in research and scholarship but by supporting the success of Texas Tech students in recovery.

"Dr. Kimball has used his experience to further student recovery on multiple campuses, and has been invited to speak internationally on this critical topic," she said. "The Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities at Texas Tech is already well known, and this just adds to that reputation of being the preeminent collegiate recovery program. It also serves as recognition for Dr. Kimball's contributions to the field of collegiate recovery."