When it comes to tacky holiday sweaters at Arkansas Tech University, the Department of Agriculture is the undisputed and undefeated champion.
Dr. Jim Collins, professor of agriculture, earned the overall top prize in the second annual Arkansas Tech faculty and staff ugliest holiday sweater competition at Baswell Techionery on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
Collins also won for most creative homemade sweater, while Dr. Justin Killingsworth, assistant professor of agricultural education, won a preliminary round for ugliest sweater.
When the time arrived to select the overall winner, the crowd and Killingsworth threw their support behind Collins, who has served on the Arkansas Tech faculty since 1983.
Collins’ award marked the second consecutive year that a faculty member from the Department of Agriculture has won the top prize. Dr. Lucas Maxwell, assistant professor of agricultural education, was the winner of the inaugural competition in 2014.
In the interest of fairness, Maxwell remained on the sidelines during the 2015 event. He committed his time and expertise to assisting Dr. Robin E. Bowen, Arkansas Tech president, in the judging process.
No injuries were reported from the contest, and no one was harmed in the creation of the ugly holiday sweaters.