The honor recognizes Masselli’s efforts to promote Texas Tech worldwide.
John Masselli, the Haskell Taylor Professor of Taxation in the Rawls College of Business, was honored with the Global Vision Lifetime Achievement Award by the Office of International Affairs for his continuous contributions to the internationalization of Texas Tech and his efforts in promoting international scholarships and teaching.
Masselli was presented the award by President M. Duane Nellis and Provost Lawrence Schovanec at the Global Vision Awards Ceremony April 17.
“I was provided with the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Rome, Italy, when I was a 20-year-old college student,” Masselli said. “As I am still reminded from family and friends, the man that returned from Italy that May 1986 was a very different person than the college student who boarded the plane in January of the same year. Because of my experiences as both a student and now a faculty member, I firmly believe that studying abroad is among the most life-changing experiences a person can have.”
Masselli, who joined the college in 1998, began his globalization efforts in 2001, during which time he was a scholar in residence for the inaugural semester of the Texas Tech University Center in Seville, Spain. He taught undergraduate accounting in the Seville program in the Spring 2002 and 2003 semesters.
He continued his efforts in 2003 by performing a feasibility study related to commencing the Rawls College Summer Program in Prague, Czech Republic. In doing so, Masselli forged a relationship with Texas Tech's Czech Republic affiliate, the University of New York in Prague (UNYP), an alliance that has continued to strengthen in the last decade.
The Rawls College's Business in Prague faculty-led program launched in May 2004 and continues to operate under Masselli's leadership. Since its implementation, more than 275 Rawls students have participated in the Prague program.
Masselli also has been instrumental in helping the Texas Tech community as a whole strive to meet its strategic goal of steadily increased globalization. Most notably, he has served as a member, and ultimately chairman, of the Study Abroad Competitive Scholarship committee, which for more than a decade has awarded more than $300,000 annually to Texas Tech students studying abroad.
“Such experiential learning simultaneously contributes to academic and emotional maturity, cultural awareness and open-mindedness, and offers a lens into oneself that will impact the decisions one makes for rest of their life,” Masselli said. “For these reasons, though I am truly honored to have received this lifetime achievement award, I will continue to commit my energy to helping Texas Tech and the Rawls College further their internationalization efforts.”