Dr. Ray Rasmussen, Professor Emeritus
Department of Strategic Management & Organization
School of Business, The University of Alberta

E-mail: ray@raysweb.net
Phone:  (780) 492-3949 
FAX:     (780) 492-7971 
Office:  HUB 1
Office Hours:  Tue/Thur 5:30-6:30 pm or by apppointment
Address:  c/o 3-23 School of Business, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA  T6G 2R6

Dr. Ray Rasmussen served for 8 years as Chair of the Department of Strategic Management and Organization, was the TransAlta Professor of Environmental Policy, and is currently the Director of the Environmental Research and Studies Centre. He currently teaches these courses:

  • Org A 404: Interpersonal Communication and Team Management
  • Org A 657: Interpersonal Communication and Team Management

Awards & Honours 

  • 1998: MacKenzie MBA Teaching Award
  • 1995: MBA Class Teaching Honorable Mention Award
  • 1994: MBA Class Teaching Award
  • 1993: Kersarwani Speaker, University of Ottawa
  • 1992: Emerald Environmental Award Finalist, Alberta Foundation for Environmental Excellence, Personal Contribution Category
  • 1991: Faculty Labatt's Teaching Award
  • 1989: Undergraduate Labatt's Teaching Award
  • 1988: University of Alberta Rutherford Award for Teaching Excellence
  • 1987: Canada 3M National Teaching Award
  • 1985: MBA Class Teaching Award
  • 1984: MBA Class Teaching Award

Academic Background

PhD, University of California (Berkeley) in 1970. Areas of interest:

  • Leadership 
  • Management Training and Development 
  • Interpersonal Communication & Conflict Management
  • Management & the Natural Environment
  • Small Business and the Internet

Favorite Journals

  • Academy of Management Executive 
  • Harvard Business Review 
  • Journal of Management Inquiry 
  • Management Communication Quarterly 
  • Organizational Dynamics

Present and Past Service Activities 

  • Director, Environmental Research & Studies Centre. The mandate of the ERSC is to increase the environmental literacy of university students and of the citizens of Alberta.
  • Chair, North Saskatchewan River Valley Alliance. I was asked by Mayor Bill Smith to serve on this committee. Our goal is to raise funds to complete the development of Edmonton's Ribbon of Green, including new foot bridges, trails, and natural areas.
  • Member, Alberta Government Roundtable on Environment and Economy. I was asked by the Premier and appointed by Cabinet to serve with 24 business and community leaders to present the Alberta Government with a vision for sustainable development.
  • National Trustee and Vice President, Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society. CPAWS is an parks and wilderness advocacy society with thousands of members from all Provinces and Territories.
  • Editorial Board Member, Environment Views Magazine [renamed EnCompass]. Environment views/EnCompass was an Alberta Environment publication and is now a private sector magazine directed by an independent editorial board. ItÕs mission was to produce bias-balanced, non-partisan, depth coverage of current environmental issues in the Province of Alberta. 
  • Board Member, FEESA Environmental Education Society of Alberta. FEESA is an organization that provides bias balanced educational materials and training workshops for public school teachers in the environmental, social studies and science curriculums. 
  • Member, Edmonton Economic Development Strategic Planning Committee. I was asked by the Mayor to help to plan Edmonton's Economic Future. I served with a number of members of the Edmonton's business community and other interest groups.
  • President, Alberta Chapter, Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society.
  • Chair, Edmonton Urban Parkland Committee. This advocacy group attempts to keep Edmonton's Communities intact [free from commuter short cutting] and the River Valley and parks free from commercial development.Our focus is on trails, footbridges, and interpretive centres.
  • Member, North Saskatchewan River Study Steering Committee. This was a committee composed of representatives from each of Companies that discharge pollutants into the North Saskatchewan River. Our mission was to assess the degree of pollution and to set a benchmark and goals for improvement. 
  • Member, Edmonton Forestry Capital Society of Canada. I was asked by Mayor Jan Reimer to serve on this committee which focused on Edmonton's role as a Canadian Forestry Centre. Among other things, we developed bias-balanced materials for junior and high school students to enable them to understand the difficult balance between forestry practices and the sustainability of the Boreal Forest. 
  • President, Tomorrow Foundation for a Sustainable Future. This foundation is focused largely on solving the world's energy and pollution problems through energy conservation projects.
  • Chair, Alberta Forest Products Association-Alberta Environmental Network Roundtable. This committee served to create a dialogue between Alberta's environmental organizations and the member companies of the Alberta Forest Products Association. 
  • Member, Alberta Government Special Places 2000 Advisory Committee. I was asked by Premier Klein to serve on this committee whose mandate was to conduct public hearings throughout Alberta and to develop a plan for implementing the Special Places 2000 program in Alberta. 
  • Member, Alberta Government Forest Conservation Strategy Advisory Committee. This committee consisted of members of industry, government, local communities, and environmental organizations. It's mandate was to create a strategy for forestry in Alberta which would ensure the sustainability of the forest resource and biodiversity.
  • Board of Directors, Alberta Wilderness Association.The AWA is Alberta's leading wilderness and wildlife advocacy group. This organization has shaped present thinking on the Special Places 2000 program and has led the battle in protecting areas like Alberta's Willmore Wilderness Park.
  • President, Toxics Watch Society of Alberta. The society is focused on providing information about how toxic substances are handled and disposed of in Alberta.
  • Member, Federal Department of Environment Panel on National Parks Policy 
  • Board Member, Destination Conservation Energy Conservation Project. This non-profit society is involved in providing energy conservation educational materials and training services to schools throughout the world. It also works with business and government partners to provide energy-conservation retrofitting of public and private buildings. 
  • Chair, Alberta Environmental Network. The AEN is a vehicle through which Alberta Environmental Non-Government Organizations interface with Government and Industry Organizations. 
  • Board, Canadian Environmental Network. The CEN is a vehicle through which Canadian Environmental Non-Government Organizations interface with Government and Industry Organizations. 

    Personal Interests & Avocations: 

    My personal life revolves around my wife, Sandra, and my two daughters, Teal and Terra.

    I enjoy wilderness hiking, especially in Alberta's great Willmore Wilderness Park, and in Utah's Canyonlands National Park. And I'm an enthusiast for whitewater canoeing and kayaking, movies, and chinese food. 

    I create web sites including:

    I'm an avid amateur photographer. Here are some of my photos.

    I'm engaged in a variety of writing projects including haiku poetry and haibun style accounts.

    I'm an advocate for conservation and have created web sites that discuss Alberta's Endangered Species.