Posted on: July 17, 2017
By: Allen Wallace, wallacej7@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-5667
University of South Carolina’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management (HRSM) is proud to welcome Mark Rosenbaum, Ph.D., as the new chair of its Department of Retailing. Rosenbaum will begin his new role on July 17, 2017, and will be responsible for leading all academic and research initiatives for the department.
“Dr. Rosenbaum comes with an extensive academic training and publication background in marketing, services management, and retailing as well as many innovative ideas based on his deep knowledge and experience in global retailing,” said HRSM Dean Haemoon Oh. “We are excited to welcome his leadership to our Department of Retailing and look forward to working with him to take the department and our college to the next level.”
Rosenbaum, selected for the position after a nationwide search, comes to South Carolina from Northern Illinois University, where he was the Kohl’s Corporation Professor of Retail Marketing. He is a two-time Fulbright Scholar and a Fulbright Specialist, a research fellow at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, and a visiting associate professor of marketing at Universidad de Externado in Bogota, Colombia, and at the American Hotel Academy in Brasov, Romania.
Rosenbaum said the varied components of HRSM attracted him to the college. “The retailing program is an outstanding program, and I like the connection with hospitality and sport management,” he said. “All three programs are linked through service, and I’ve actually done research in all three areas. I consider myself a service researcher, so it’s such a natural fit.”
As USC’s new Department of Retailing chair, Rosenbaum will emphasize working with international retailers and preparing students to succeed as retailing evolves with technology and service design.
“We’re not in a declining industry. We’re shifting the channels,” he said. “We have to think about the term ‘omnichannel retailing.’ Traditional brick-and-mortar retail operations will not cease; however, in order to survive, these retailers must enhance their customers' in-store experiences.”
Rosenbaum earned his Ph.D. in marketing from Arizona State University. He also holds master’s degrees in operations management from San Diego State University; international business and interdisciplinary studies from New York University; and marketing from the University of Illinois at Chicago, along with a bachelor’s degree in finance from Indiana University.
He serves as an associate editor for several publications including the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, and the Service Industries Journal.
Rosenbaum has extensive international experience, having served as Fulbright Scholar in Cambodia and a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Nepal. In addition to his visiting professorships in Colombia and Romania, he consults regularly in patient experience in Vietnam, and holds services management training seminars in Myanmar.
“I’m really looking forward to coming to HRSM,” Rosenbaum said, adding that after years in the Chicago area he’s even looking forward to the South Carolina heat. “I really love the enthusiasm here.”