In Memoriam: Professor James Richard Rubin (1951-2016)

James Rubin, assistant professor of business administration and coordinator of the Management Communication area at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, died 6 July. He was 64.

“In James, we have lost a dear friend and colleague, a multi-talented scholar and musician who — over his 25 years as a Darden faculty member — made great and lasting contributions to the School and our community,” Dean Scott Beardsley wrote in a message to the Darden community.

Rubin joined the Darden faculty in 1991, and was the first faculty recipient of the Frederick S. Morton Award, which annually recognizes a Darden student for excellence in leadership and the faculty member who contributed the most to that student’s Darden experience.

Rubin taught management and corporate communication and helped build Darden’s Management Communication area, serving as area coordinator for 20 years and serving as course head several times. During his career at Darden, he launched several new elective courses, wrote numerous academic articles and case studies, and served as a communications consultant for major corporations.

At the time of his death, he was finalizing a manuscript with Columbia Business School Publishing: Rebuilding Trust in the Age of Social Media, which represents his more than 20 years of research in the areas of branding, reputation and trust.

For more information about Rubin and details of his memorial service, read his obituary.

University Professor and Dean Emeritus Robert Bruner also wrote a blog post commemorating Rubin.