University of Wisconsin marketing professors are the most referenced group of academic professionals in the United States, according to a new study published by the American Marketing Association. The study measured how often UW professors’ research findings have been cited by other scholars.
J. Paul Peter, chair and professor in the Marketing Department, attributed UW’s rank to the culture of the department.
“The department believes in quality research and changes the field by doing influential work,” Peter said.
Other members of the marketing department community at UW were in agreement regarding the research environment of UW.
“UW has a tremendous research culture,” UW Marketing Professor Jan Heide said. “The marketing department as a group has a tradition of doing research.”
In every one of the different categories measured by the survey, Heide was either the third or fourth most cited researcher. The study used different measurement tools of research citation and included 922 researchers.
Peter stated that UW’s marketing professors stick out because UW selects professors who work to continue the department’s commitment to quality research and teaching.
Both Heide and Peter pointed out that UW’s marketing research influences academic work at other universities and helps practitioners deliver better values to their customers.
A common misconception among the general public is that there is a tension between teaching and doing research and that the two do not complement one another well, Heide said.
“Students really benefit from having active researchers as professors,” Heide said. “Textbooks are often a couple years behind in the field, but with professors doing their own research, students are getting the most current thinking in marketing applied in the classroom.”
Mark Neuman, president of Mu Kappa Tau, the professional honorary marketing society of UW, also agrees that the caliber of teaching is top-notch.
“Each professor brings something different to the classroom,” he said. “Some share expertise from their backgrounds in real-world corporate environments. Others add credibility to their teaching through years of empirical research.”
UW professor, Jack Nevin, ranked 47 in the study.
“Jack Nevin is awesome,” said Evan Smestad, a UW graduate student in marketing. “He has over twenty years of experience and is a leader in Marketing Channels.”
Heide came to UW from Norway to earn his masters and doctorate degrees. After five years of teaching and doing research at Case Western University, he returned to UW to join the faculty.
“I really like it here. I like the students, my colleagues and UW’s values,” Heide said. “Our department has a good track record of teaching.”
However, Peter noted that the UW Marketing Department has a small faculty in comparison to other schools. UW has nine marketing faculty members, while Northwestern University’s marketing department, also highly ranked, has 28.
“I don’t think there’s a better program out there. We have a very small faculty that has a huge impact on the field of marketing,” Peter said.
