2025 Distinguished Alumni Award

Jan is a proud Texas Tech and Rawls College of Business alumna whose career spans decades of entrepreneurial ventures, strategic foresight, and philanthropy. After graduating, Jan launched her professional journey with one of the largest high school and college ring companies in the US, John‑Roberts Inc. She began in customer service and advanced to college ring sales before leaving to begin her yellow pages career with Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages in 1975, where she became a top‑performing sales leader in Texas.

In 1987, Jan and her husband Raymond founded Fox Advertising (Fox), a national Yellow Pages agency built on taking care of the clients and disciplined hard work, all the while knowing in advance how and when to exit. Together, with foundational sacrifices and clear vision, they grew Fox into a thriving agency with more than 150 clients across North America and Mexico. The sale/merger with TMP Worldwide in August 1999 marked the successful realization of their exit strategy.

Pivoting into philanthropy after their business successes, Jan and Raymond embraced estate planning as a way to leave a lasting legacy. In 2018, they established the Jan and Raymond Patschke Scholarship at Rawls College, followed by a $25,000 endowed scholarship in 2023 and a transformative $8 million planned gift in 2024 which includes a scholarship endowment, operating endowment, and Texas Tech’s first deanship endowment.

As a member of the Rawls College Advisory Council, Jan remains deeply engaged with students and faculty, helping shape the future of business education.