As Texas Tech University celebrates its centennial year in 2023, the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business will highlight impactful individuals from years past. While each person be it as a student, alumni, friend, faculty or staff member may have impacted the college or their industry differently, one thing will always be constant: they are all part of the Rawls College legacy.

Michael Hitt is a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University and a Distinguished Research Fellow at Texas Christian University. He received both his bachelor of business administration in 1968 and master of business administration in 1969 from Texas Tech University's College of Business and ultimately earned his PhD from the University of Colorado.

Hitt is a leading management scholar with a career that spans more than 40 years as an educator and researcher. Among his many recognitions, Hitt has received the Irwin Outstanding Educator Award, the Distinguished Service Award and the Distinguished Educator Award from the Academy of Management. The Times Higher Education listed him among the top scholars in economics, finance and management based on the number of highly cited articles he has authored over the years. The Academy of Management Perspectives also listed him as one of the top two management scholars in terms of the combined impact of his work both inside and outside of academia. In 2018, he was named a Distinguished Alumnus by both Rawls College and the University of Colorado.

For more information on the impact of Rawls College, please visit the centennial exhibit at the Texas Tech Museum.