UMass Receives $1.5 Million Gift to Endow Professorship in Mediterranean Archaeology
Caroline Horvitz (far right) excavating at Poggio Civitate in Italy. Much of her work there focused on digital archiving and collaborative research. Photo: umass.edu
Source: UMass News & Media
Jeffrey Horvitz, father of Caroline H. Horovitz and executor of her estate, has pledged $1.5 million to establish the Caroline H. Horvitz Professorship in Mediterranean Archaeology in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The gift honors Caroline’s wishes and her tenure as a well-respected lecturer in the Department of Classics.
“Caroline was the most exceptional person I have ever known. She had a lot of drive, constantly pushing herself. Teaching became the center her life, and she cared deeply about her students,” said Jeffrey Horvitz. “Whatever her students learned about the class subject matter paled compared to the unstated lesson about what can be possible in life.”
Caroline Horvitz was born in Miami on May 16, 1988, with severe cerebral palsy and was profoundly deaf. After moving to Massachusetts in 1992, she began her education at the Beverly School for the Deaf. She later earned an associate degree from Mount Wachusett Community College, a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College and two master’s degrees from Simmons College, where she wrote her thesis on Etruscan fibulae (brooches or safety pins).
The professorship will attract or retain an outstanding scholar in Mediterranean archaeology and strengthen the college’s academic reputation through research, teaching, and student engagement.
“At a pivotal moment for the humanities, this extraordinary generosity in honor of Caroline positions UMass Amherst for the future,” says Chancellor Javier Reyes. “This gift advances faculty excellence in Mediterranean archaeology and strengthens our capacity to lead in research, scholarship and student opportunity for years to come.”
“I am grateful to the Horvitz family for their generous gift to endow the Caroline H. Horvitz Professorship in Mediterranean Archaeology,” says HFA Dean Maria del Guadalupe Davidson. “A beloved instructor in the Classics Department, Caroline was known for her brilliance as an educator and her commitment to student learning and success. This professorship ensures Caroline’s legacy and puts the UMass Amherst College of Humanities and Fine Arts on the map as a place for educational and scholarly excellence in Mediterranean archaeology.”
“The College of Humanities and Fine Arts plays a vital role in helping us understand our cultures, our histories, and the ideas that shape societies,” says Arwen Duffy, president of the UMass Amherst Foundation. “Endowed professorships like this one expand the depth and diversity of knowledge at UMass Amherst, ensuring that scholars and students can continue exploring the questions that connect the ancient world to our lives today.”
Caroline’s connection to UMass Amherst began through archaeological fieldwork. From 2015 through 2017, she spent her summers in Italy cataloging Etruscan finds at the Poggio Civitate Archaeological Field School, which is led by Anthony Tuck, Professor of Classics and Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs at UMass Amherst.
Tuck hired Caroline to join the classics department as a lecturer in 2023. She taught courses on Roman archaeology, Roman religion and Pompeii. It was a life-changing opportunity for her.
“Caroline proved to be a very adept instructor, even though the modality of how she was communicating with the classes was non-traditional. Students who had physical challenges gravitated to her,” Tuck recalls. “Teaching represented a professional zenith for Caroline. She was doing the thing she most wanted to do when she died. And one can only hope that we are all so fortunate.”
A linguistic savant, Caroline could read in English, Latin, Italian, and French and understood several sign languages, including Signing Exact English, British, French, Italian, German and Arabic. She traveled to more than 80 countries and served on the Board of Directors for Safe Haven Therapeutic and Medical Outreach, an NGO for Cambodian children facing physical and medical challenges.
She died on April 24, 2025, at age 36.
The Caroline H. Horvitz Professorship in Mediterranean Archaeology will be awarded to a faculty member appointed by Dean Lupe Davidson. Preference will be given to scholars in the UMass Amherst Department of Classics. The appointment will carry a three- to five-year term, with the option for renewal, ensuring sustained impact in teaching, research and student mentorship.
Learn more about the impact of the Caroline H. Horvitz Professorship in Mediterranean Archaeology here.