Two UHV professors awarded emeritus status
Two longtime faculty members from the University of Houston-Victoria, Linda Hayes and Horace Fairlamb, have been granted emeritus status by the UH System Board of Regents in recognition of their distinguished careers in teaching, research and service.
The Board of Regents conferred the recommendation to Hayes and Fairlamb on May 14. The honor is bestowed upon retired faculty members and reflects the profound and lasting impact faculty members have had on the university and its students.
"It fills our university with so much pride to see Linda Hayes and Horace Fairlamb recognized with emeritus status," said Joann Olson, UHV interim provost. "Both of these individuals have had extraordinary careers marked by their commitment to student success, scholarly excellence and meaningful service to the university. This recognition is not only well deserved, but also a celebration of their legacy.”
Hayes came to UHV as a visiting professor as a business faculty member in 1998. Over the span of her 26-year career, she has taught more than 3,600 students in 20 different business courses ranging from core marketing subjects to cross-disciplinary topics such as business finance and strategy. Her style of teaching blended theoretical knowledge with practical application to help students develop the skills needed to be successful in the business world.
“Since my early days at UHV, I have seen the College of Business student body increase fourfold, which is testament to the high-quality programs offered at UHV,” Hayes said. “Being the first College of Business director of online services, I have seen tremendous technology advancement, which has allowed our students to take courses on campus, online and in a combination. I have had the fortune of teaching thousands of Texas Gulf Coast students and have seen them successfully apply their knowledge and skills in the business community.”
Hayes has also made significant contributions to the university’s research and accreditation efforts. Her academic work focused on global marketing strategies, perceptions and decision-making. She has been published in many refereed journals including the Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Management Development, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, Applied Economics and International Review of Financial Analysis.
“I enjoy research projects, have co-authored articles in both national and international journals, and have had the great honor of working with top College of Business scholars,” Hayes said.
As a member of the College of Business executive teams, she played a key role in the college receiving its initial AACSB accreditation in 2005 and in every reaccreditation cycle since. Hayes oversaw the assessment efforts across undergraduate and graduate programs and assisted in building a framework for program evaluation that continues to shape the college and the university’s academic quality to this day.
Fairlamb earned a Ph.D. in intellectual history from Johns Hopkins University in 1983 and went on to join the UHV faculty in 1986. Over the span of his nearly 40-year career, Fairlamb helped shape the lives of thousands of students and contributed to the academic and administrative growth of the university.
At UHV, Fairlamb taught both undergraduate and graduate students in the English and Interdisciplinary Studies programs. He also introduced popular courses on film, many of which were part of the university’s core curriculum. Students were known to praise his courses for being intellectually rigorous but accessible.
His research was grounded in intellectual history and philosophy. He explored themes in Critical Theory and American Pragmatism. In 1994, his book “Critical Conditions: Postmodernity and the Question of Foundations,” was published by Cambridge University Press and went on to become influential in the field. He has also published numerous articles and reviews, and he remained active in academic conferences throughout his career.
Until his retirement, Fairlamb coordinated the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. Prior to that, he served as the Chair of Arts & Sciences before the university reorganized into colleges. He has also served for the university’s shared governance as the chair of the Faculty Council.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.