Helping people is what Peter Worthing loves most about his work.
“It might mean helping students get through their academic program or helping them find something they are passionate about and want to pursue as a career. It could mean helping a colleague find funding for a project or helping them navigate the tenure and promotion process,” he said. “Regardless, helping others be successful in their studies or work is the best part of my job.”
The professor of history and associate dean for graduate studies and research in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts is the recipient of the 2019 Michael R. Ferrari Award for Distinguished University Service and Leadership.
“It is an honor, but it makes me remember all of the people I have worked with in my time at TCU,” he said. “The Ferrari Award recognizes an individual, but the reality is that we rarely if ever accomplish things without collaborating with others. I have had the good fortune to work with many people on a number of projects that hopefully contributed to moving TCU forward.”
The Michael R. Ferrari Award for Distinguished University Service and Leadership was
established by the TCU Board of Trustees to honor the former chancellor and recognize
the extraordinary situational leadership accomplishments above job or position expectations
of a faculty or staff member.
“Dr. Worthing has enhanced the student experience, moved the needle with respect to DEI initiatives and led faculty outside of the college,” his nominator wrote. “I would also add that he has a robust and active research agenda and continues to publish in the area of Asian history.”
Worthing created and supervised AddRan’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program as well as two new awards recognizing diversity in research among AddRan faculty and graduate students. He also partnered with the Neeley School’s Entrepreneurial Intern Scholars Program to create the AddRan Graduate Student Summer Internship program, which provides three internships totaling $9,000.
Worthing has served as associate dean for graduate studies and research since 2017. From 2016-2020, he was chair of the department of history and TCU’s first department chairs coordinator. In this role, he brought in external experts to conduct annual professional development workshops for department chairs as well as organized special training on the issues of diversity and implicit bias in hiring new faculty. He created the Chairs Council to facilitate communication and networking among department chairs and program directors. In addition, Worthing worked with the Koehler Center to create the TCU Chair’s Resources website to provide easy access to policy, procedures, best practices and other relevant information; drafted a plan for a campus-wide Leadership Development Program; and wrote and distributed the TCU Handbook for Department Chairs 2009-2015.
Worthing received his Ph.D. in Chinese history from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He joined the TCU faculty in 2002.
“I was attracted by the size of the university and the fact that the history department had a Ph.D. program,” he said. “It turned out to be a very good fit for me.”
Worthing teaches undergraduate courses on East Asian civilizations, modern Chinese history and the Vietnam War as well as graduate seminars on China in world history and the Vietnam War. He has published three books: Occupation and Revolution: China and the Vietnamese August Revolution of 1945 (1995), A Military History of Modern China: From the Qing Conquest to Tiananmen Square (2007) and General He Yingqin: The Rise and Fall of Nationalist China (2016). His articles have appeared in Modern China, War and Society, The Journal of Military History, War in History and Modern China Studies.
“One of the things that makes TCU special is the balance we strike between teaching and research,” Worthing said. “I know most colleges and universities claim to value both, but it is not easy to achieve. TCU is one of a small number of institutions that manages this balance successfully, combining excellence in teaching with first rate research and creative activity.”
This fall, Worthing is eager to get back into the swing of classes. “It was a long summer of uncertainty, and while some things remain uncertain, it feels good to be back on campus with some students and faculty around,” he said. “This year will be a challenge, but I have watched many people work very hard over the summer to make sure that things go well.”