Bob Lusch's first day in the office as head of Eller College's marketing department coincided with Tucson's rise to triple-digit temperatures last Tuesday. Whether this was a sign of good things to come remains to be seen.

Prior to coming to the UA, Lusch served as dean of Texas Christian University's M.J. Neeley School of Business, which is ranked among the top 50 schools in the nation. Lusch held the same position at the University of Oklahoma, another top-50 school, and is expected to boost the national standing of Eller's marketing department.

Interim dean Ken Smith called Lusch a major figure in the field of marketing whose leadership in business and marketing education will be a resource in developing the Eller College.

"When you get someone who has performed at that level over such a long period of time," said Smith, "you just have a unique resource and someone that strengthens the Eller College organization in multiple ways. We couldn't be happier."

Lusch, a UA alum, said he would like to pay special attention to marketing's honors students.

And nothing says special like an invite to dinner.

"Marketing is one of the top majors on campus, but we haven't done much for our honors students," said Lusch in his new office, which has half-empty bookshelves still lining the wall and drafty wind noises he said he is still getting used to.

"I also want to have a dialogue with the students about that, so I'll be having over at my house in September, after the semester starts, a group of honors students and just invite them over for dinner, different groups of them and talk about things we could do to get them more involved in the department."

Inviting those who are excelling to dinner is an initiative Lusch has taken before and said is a good way to get to know students and get them off campus.

Lusch said he also hopes to make the UA student chapter of the American Marketing Association one of the best in the country.

Since his arrival, Lusch said he has been meeting with campus faculty and directors, searching for potential collaborations between businesses and the marketing department. The department will also be recruiting three new faculty members next year.

And while it may seem that Eller College is undergoing a lot of transitions (the college recently changed its name from Eller College of Business and Public Administration to the shortened Eller College of Management), at least Lusch will be able make all necessary adjustments on familiar territory.

Lusch attended Tucson High School and received both his bachelor's and master's degrees at the UA before moving away in 1972.

"When I started as a student, there were probably 15,000 students," he said.

Lusch said the move to Tucson went smoothly since he and his wife have owned a house near the Tucson Mountains since 1998. They also have a grandchild and daughter in Phoenix.

He said it was the professional opportunities though, not just the emotional ties, that brought him back to the Old Pueblo and to the UA.