R. Bruce Hutton, Ph.D.

R. Bruce Hutton is Dean Emeritus at the Daniels College of Business and holds the Piccinati Chair in Teaching Innovation. In his 32 years at the University of Denver, he has served as Dean of the College (1990-1994, 2007-2008) and chairman of the Department of Marketing (1980-1985). He also developed and served as director of the college’s first off-site MBA program (1987-1990). He has received numerous local, regional, and national honors for his contributions to business education, applied market research, and community service. National awards include the National Park Service’s highest civilian honor, that of Honorary Ranger; and the Beyond Grey Pinstripes Faculty Pioneer Institutional Leadership Award from the World Resources Institute and Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program for leadership in integrating social and environmental issues into business education and scholarship.

Dr. Hutton is the co-author of a proposal for enhancing MBA programs, subsequently funded with an $11 million dollar matching gift, the largest ever received by the University at that time. While serving as dean, the matching money was raised and a new educational model for MBA programs was developed and subsequently recognized as one the top 25 programs in the country for general MBA degrees. The program is recognized as one of the most innovative in the country for its emphasis on experiential learning, required community service, and intensive “boot camps”; comprehensive integrated curriculum; and team teaching. A significant component of this program deals with issues of values and social responsibility, including environmental ethics and sustainable development. Other firsts during his tenure as dean include the development and implementation of a strategic plan for the college; creating a new model for defining and measuring scholarship; implementation of a loaned executive program; adoption of a plan to increase diversity among faculty, staff, and student bodies; implementation of newsletters to alumni and college personnel; a weekly business ethics column in the local Denver paper; and the creation of a state-of-the-art Center for Managerial Communication. He was the co-creator of the Colorado Ethics in Business Awards. A personal highlight during this time was the positive response of graduate students to the value of community service. This program component is now managed by the students under GIVE (Graduates Involved in Voluntary Efforts), as part of the Graduate Business Student Association.

Dr. Hutton received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida with a major in marketing and minors in social psychology and social research methods. His areas of expertise are in marketing research, corporate social responsibility, and the application of consumer behavior principles to issues of public policy, particularly related to the environment. He has more than 70 academic and professional publications, and has lectured in Canada, China, Brazil, Finland, Norway, Russia, and Taiwan. He is a national research award recipient in the area of consumer decision-making and energy usage information, and has been the recipient of more than a million dollars in grants and contracts related to marketing and public policy issues, most notably in the areas of energy conservation and the environment. College honors include the Willemssen Professorship, a research appointment to examine emerging relationships between business, government, and nonprofit sectors, the John D. Hershner Free Enterprise Award, Graduate Business Student Association Standard of Excellence Award, the College’s inaugural Outstanding Faculty Research Award, Scholarship of Integration Award, and Scholarship of Application Award.