Harris named chair of management and marketing

Dr. Eric Harris has been promoted to chairperson of the Department of Management and Marketing at Pittsburg State University. The appointment, which followed an internal search, was announced by Dr. Richard Dearth, interim dean of the College of Business.

Harris has served as an assistant professor in the department for the past two years. In his new role, he will oversee 13 full-time faculty and numerous adjunct faculty. He will also continue teaching consumer behavior and marketing strategy courses, as well as work to further his research in marketing.

“I’m looking forward to helping in the continued development of our department and students,” said Harris. “I also hope to contribute to the reaffirmation of our AACSB accreditation.”

Harris has had 18 articles published in journals focused on the psychological influences of consumer and employee behavior. He is working on a text book on consumer behavior, which will be published by Cengage-Southwestern in the fall of 2008. In addition to writing, he sits on the editorial review boards for the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, the Journal of Services Marketing, and Services Marketing Quarterly.

“In his short time at PSU, Dr. Harris has won the respect of his colleagues and students,” Dearth said. “He is a highly productive author and an excellent teacher, and I have every confidence that he will excel in this role as chair of one of the largest departments at PSU.”

A native of Pittsburg, Harris earned his BBA (’91) and MBA (’92) degrees from PSU. He finished his Ph.D. in marketing in 2001 at Oklahoma State University. Before attending OSU, Harris worked for Coca-Cola Enterprises and for U.S. Awards in Pittsburg. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he taught for four years as an assistant professor in marketing for the University of South Florida before returning to Pitt State.

Harris is a member of the American Marketing Association, the Academy of Marketing Science, the Society for Marketing Advances, and the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators.

He and his wife, Tara, live in Carl Junction, Mo., with their son Christian, 15, and daughter Sydney, 11.

---Pitt State---