October 15, 2009

Design & Merchandising Professor Dr. Joseph Hancock says he is "visual, analytical and learns by doing." He isn't kidding. When he's not in the classroom, Joe is extremely busy spending his time doing research and writing, guest lecturing all over the world, not to mention his role as an advisor for several student organizations.

Recently, Joe's book Brand/Story: Ralph, Vera, Johnny, Billy and Other Adventures in Fashion Branding was published by Fairchild Publicationsand he is currently working on his second, Icons of Contemporary Dress & Mass Fashion, for the Costume Society of America. Joe has received fellowship or grants from The Popular and American Culture Associations, the London College of Fashion and Stockholm University, and his research has been published in the Journal of American Culture, Fashion Practice and the Journal of Popular Culture.

Joe likes to make learning "fun' and he often "integrates current popular culture to light the fire in the classroom." This philosophy may explain, in part, the invitations Joe received to guest lecture at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia; Stockholm University; Cornell University; The Ohio State University; Albright College and the University of Delaware. At Drexel, Joe received the Steinbright Cooperative Career Center's Faculty of the Year Award and he is the advisor for the Foundation for Undergraduate Sexual Equality (FUSE) and co-advisor for the Fashion and Design Student Association (FAD). With Drexel librarian Ann Keith Kennedy, Joe launched Drexel's Journal of Culture and Retail Image to publish students' scholarly works.

As they say, if you need something done, ask a busy person. Joe serves on the editorial board of the Journal of American Culture and is the Area Chair for Fashion, Appearance & Consumer Identity for the Popular Culture and American Culture Associations. Joe was this year's recipient of the Felicia F. Campbell Award for Area Chairs. He also serves on the board of the Costume Society of America and the Popular/American Culture Associations and has been chair for the International Textile's and Apparel's faculty awards committee.

Joe has organized this year's Fashion Lecture Series and has been instrumental in bringing such luminaries as George Takei and Brini Maxwell to Drexel. In the Design & Merchandising Program, Joe typically teaches Survey of the Fashion Industry, Retailing Principles and Retail Merchandise Management. He also developed the Certificate in Retail Leadership for the Goodwin College of Professional Studies. Before Drexel, Joe earned his PhD from Ohio State University and spent twenty years in retail working for The Gap Corporation, The Limited, Inc. and the Target Corporation.