Jane Harbaugh’s 43-year career made her one of the longest-serving faculty members and administrators at UTC.
Harbaugh’s career was an impressive one, too. She served as Guerry Professor of history and chairman of the department (1958-1969); dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1969-1975); vice chancellor for academic affairs (1975-1982); and associate provost (1982-2001). In addition to her work at UTC, Harbaugh served as a postdoctoral fellow in East Asian studies at Harvard University and was the recipient of a Rockefeller Research Grant at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. Here she is pictured in an issue of the University Echo from 1962.
The Dr. Jane Harbaugh Research Experience Award was established in 2021 to commemorate the career of Harbaugh, whose 43-year career made her one of the longest-serving faculty members and administrators at UTC.
The $7,500 awards, funded by UTC Academic Affairs, the Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor, the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Division of Diversity and Engagement, are designed to support undergraduate students from previously underrepresented populations in study abroad and research experiences at UTC.
Three inaugural recipients of the award were selected in May 2022. For University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Breanna Evans, the scholarship led to another award.
Jane was born April 24, 1930, in Baltimore, Maryland, the second child of Charlotte Anne Kirby Harbaugh and Vernon Leslie Harbaugh. The family, including her elder sister Charlotte Ann Harbaugh, moved to Floral Park, New York, when the girls were teens. After completing high school Jane went on to earn her associate bachelor’s degree at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
A trailblazing woman in academia in the post-war period, Jane completed graduate programs at Tufts and ultimately earned her associate master’s degree and doctorate of philosophy specializing in diplomatic history, Europe, and the Middle East, from Tufts’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. In 1956 she was awarded a grant by the Rockefeller Foundation to complete one year of post-doctorate studies at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. She fell in love with Europe while there, which led to many trips to the Continent throughout her life with her sister and others.
Upon her return to the United States, Jane accepted a faculty role at the University of Chattanooga (UC). She then completed a post-doctorate program at Harvard University in East Asian Studies from 1961–1962, and by 1965 was named head of the history department at UC. Jane continued to excel as an institutional administrator, academic, and mentor, and she earned the distinction of being the first woman appointed as a dean at UC. She later was named vice chancellor for academic affairs before ultimately becoming associate provost for undergraduate and special programs, a role she held until retiring in 2001. She continued to serve as a community liaison for the university after her formal retirement.