While Dr. Kevin Crisman ’84 is known internationally for his research and excavation of nautical archaeological sites, the Texas A&M University professor’s influence extends to former students firmly anchored to dry land.
One of those Aggies, Improving CEO Curtis Hite ’91, ’94, wanted to thank Crisman for his mentorship, so he established the Kevin Crisman ’84 Distinguished Endowed Scholarship in Nautical Archaeology. Beginning in the 2027-28 academic year, the endowment will provide one or more scholarships to full-time students who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in the Department of Anthropology’s Nautical Archaeology program.
The scholarship honors Crisman’s significant contributions to Texas A&M as a teacher, researcher and mentor. "Dr. Crisman is one of the longest-serving faculty members in our department and the very heart of our Nautical Archaeology Program,” said Dr. Darryl de Ruiter, department head. “This scholarship will benefit our nautical archaeology-focused students tremendously and allow them to pursue their dreams of studying some of the most important shipwrecks ever discovered.”
The new scholarship was announced during a celebration that marked the program’s 50th anniversary as well as Crisman’s retirement from the Department of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences. “Talk about a complete surprise! I cannot imagine a better send-off while wrapping up a 36-year career as a Texas A&M faculty member than to be acknowledged by a scholarship in my name,” Crisman said. “I am deeply touched and honored by having a gift to the university provided by my former student and old friend Curtis Hite.”
Crisman’s colleagues agreed that the recognition is well-deserved. “During the past three decades, Kevin Crisman has been a tireless mentor and adviser to dozens of graduate students in the Nautical Archaeology Program. His graduates are university professors, archaeologists at the state and federal level and directors of maritime museums,” said Dr. Deborah N. Carlson, Nautical Archaeology Program coordinator. “Kevin is respected and adored by his graduates, and the establishment of the Kevin Crisman ’84 Endowed Scholarship by one of his own former students speaks volumes about his impact on those Aggies who were lucky enough to learn from him in the classroom or in the field.”
A Buoyant Approach
Crisman’s long career took him around the globe, where he led teams of students in exploring numerous aspects of nautical archaeology, including warships and naval technology, construction and outfitting of ships, North American river, lake and canal navigation, steamboats and ship propulsion technology, and seafaring, shipboard life and maritime communities. “Archaeology is a science that starts with fieldwork,” Crisman said. “Carrying out weeks- or months-long expeditions to interesting places to make new discoveries is part of the job description.”
While many of Crisman’s students pursued nautical archeology professionally, his passion, leadership and commitment to fostering deep relationships influenced students such as Hite who followed other career paths. “It is an excellent way to train students to be good archaeologists, but perhaps more important, it is an opportunity for them to acquire leadership skills,” Crisman said. “The typical project is mentally demanding and physically exhausting, but through it all we work together to overcome daily challenges. Ideally, students learn the value of being knowledgeable, organized, flexible, fair and reliable — all good stuff to know regardless of the course you plot.”
Hite’s interest in archaeology began as a child. “I have a passion for antiquity and history,” he said, noting that he minored in archaeology at Texas A&M while earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science. “I love the mystery of the lost and forgotten, which is the opposite of technology.”
Smitten with the nautical archaeology coursework, Hite pursued a master’s degree in the subject and developed a tight bond with Crisman while participating in an excavation project in Lake Champlain in Vermont. That trip not only gave Hite the opportunity to apply his technology skills but challenged him physically to use his newly earned scuba certification to recover an antique musket near Fort Ticonderoga.
One year into the master’s program, Hite reassessed his priorities and transitioned to computer science after realizing that starting a family had become a top priority. After completing that degree, he worked as a software engineer in the defense industry before moving into consulting and training.
Throughout his career, Hite has relied on Crisman’s leadership and relational lessons to create strong teams and a supportive corporate culture. Hite brings that same focus to Improving, which has been recognized among the Inc. 500/5000, Dallas 100 and Aggie 100, and been named as one of the best workplaces in Texas by the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Business Journal and Texas Monthly. As a result of his success, Hite was honored as the Department of Computer Science’s 2007 Distinguished Former Student and received the inaugural Outstanding Early Professional Achievement Alumni Honor Award from the College of Engineering in 2013.
As someone with a deep passion for history, Hite realizes that much of his significant success is due to the influence of Crisman and others in his life. Not surprisingly, Crisman shares a similar vantage point and understands how Hite’s decision will have a far-reaching effect. “As an archaeologist who studies past human endeavors, I have come to appreciate the swift passage of time and how the best parts of our present-day world were built by the efforts and sacrifices of our predecessors,” Crisman said. “We all have a limited window of opportunity to make similar contributions. The terrific thing about a scholarship like this is the way it invests in, and shows faith in, the generations of students who will follow us at Texas A&M.”
While pleased to provide this financial support to future Aggies, Hite also is committed to saluting the people who have made the university so special. “We don’t always take the time to let people know the impact they had on us, and that story gets lost,” Hite said. “Kevin is a great example of someone at Texas A&M who pursued his passion with excellence while genuinely caring about people along the way.”