“We want to brand our department in such a way that it adds value to all of our stakeholders – our students, faculty, the Harbert College and its industry partners.”

Christopher D. Hopkins, Ph.D., The McLain Family Professor of Marketing at the Harbert College of Business since 2017, has been appointed Chair of the Department of Marketing.

Hopkins has published more than 100 articles in publications such as the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Journal of Business Research, and Journal of Business Ethics, hopes to expand the marketing program’s academic footprint within Harbert College and Auburn University as a whole. He further hopes to enhance the department’s reputation for thought leadership within the marketing discipline and the greater industry environment.

“We want to brand our department in such a way that it adds value to all of our stakeholders – our students, faculty, the Harbert College and its industry partners,” said Hopkins, who is also Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. "One way to do that is to develop a vision and a mission for the department that is tied to expanding our offerings, such as the creation of unique certificate programs, long-term investments in centers, and increasing our interface with industry.

“Given that the vision of the Harbert College of Business is to be recognized nationally as one of the elite public business schools in the country, the Marketing Department must play an integral role in producing highly-desired graduates that can drive diverse business thought and sustainable business practice.”

Hopkins, recipient of the Society of Marketing Advances 2019 Distinguished Fellow Award, believes multiple leadership roles he has taken through a variety of academic-related organizations, including serving as Past President of the Society for Marketing Advances has prepared him for this new role. Hopkins is a “strong believer in transparency and shared governance,” creating an atmosphere where “everyone is part of the process.”

“I would like for our entire faculty to feel that the processes and procedures that are put into place are fair and transparent,” Hopkins said, who served as a Professor and Faculty Scholar at Clemson University from 2001 until 2017.

“We’re a growing department, both in terms of the number of students enrolled and the quality of faculty that are currently joining our department. The level of research productivity has increased significantly over the past few years. We are also seeing an increased interface with industry, which is resulting in not only increased research productivity but also students gaining a competitive advantage in the job market.”

For more about Harbert College's Department of Marketing, visit https://harbert.auburn.edu/academics/undergraduate/marketing/index.php