Rasmussen will officially begin his role on Jan. 1.
Texas Tech University's Eric Rasmussen, an associate professor of public relations in the College of Media & Communication, recently was named the chair of the Department of Public Relations after serving as the interim chair for the past year. He will begin his role on Jan. 1.
“I am excited to continue working with the faculty to provide the best education we can for our students,” Rasmussen said. “My job description really won't change, but serving as the interim chair gave me and the faculty a chance to get used to working together in these roles. Over the past year, we've found that we've been able to work together and accomplish some great things. So, I think it was just as much preparing me as it was preparing the faculty to get used to the idea of somebody new in the position.”
David Perlmutter, dean of the College of Media & Communication, believes Rasmussen is perfectly suited for the position.
“Dr. Rasmussen is a renowned public scholar for his groundbreaking work on families and media interaction,” Perlmutter said. “He also has been at the forefront of professional innovation for our public relations curriculum. He is the ideal leader for the department in the next step in its ascent in teaching, research and public service.”
Rasmussen, who took over for former chair and associate professor Weiwu Zhang, has several goals he wants the public relations department to accomplish.
“My goals are the same as the goals for the whole faculty,” he said. “We want to increase enrollment and our retention rate. We want to increase the diversity of our students and faculty, and we want to keep improving the job placement rate of our graduates.”
Rasmussen sees his appointment as a chance to serve others.
“To be a department chair in this college is an opportunity for servant leadership,” he said. “I want to serve our students and our faculty in a way that will help them all to be successful.”