Following a nationwide search, Ron Pitcock, Ph.D., was named Dean and Wassenich Family Endowed Chair in the John V. Roach Honors
College in April 2022. The Wassenich Chair was established by Drs. Mark and Linda
Wassenich ’64 ’65 in 2000. The Wassenichs continue to support scholarships, awards
and other campus programs close to their hearts, but because of their family’s rich
history with the Honors College, they have chosen to build their greatest legacy through
the establishment of the Wassenich Chair. This enduring gift to TCU will ensure the
continued development and progress of the John V. Roach Honors College. Their support
also bolsters Lead On: A Campaign for TCU, the university’s most ambitious philanthropic
campaign to strengthen TCU’s people and programs in history.
Pitcock joined the Frog Family in 2001 and has spent the last 15 years in the Honors College. He has shaped the College as a nationally recognized educator and administrator. He has received multiple regional and national awards for excellence in teaching, research and mentorship. His philanthropy course, “Nature of Giving” has gained national recognition and helped launch a national philanthropy education program. In 2012, The Princeton Review named him among the best 300 Professors in the United States. His accomplishments as an administrator include developing a new, more equitable admissions process for recruiting highly-motivated Honors students.
Pitcock earned his bachelor’s at Wabash College, his master’s at Indiana State University and his doctorate in English and American literature, with specializations in American rhetoric, literacy and culture, at the University of Kentucky.