Normand Turgeon
Turgeon has created a fellowship endowment to fund graduate fellowships in Haslam's marketing department.
Marketing - Alumni
Normand Turgeon’s successful 43-year career in higher education in Canada saw its beginnings on Rocky Top. Turgeon earned his doctorate in marketing from the Haslam College of Business in 1988 and began teaching at HEC Montreal, the largest French-Canadian Business School in Canada.
Turgeon started the doctorate program in 1984, marking his first extended stay in the United States. Turgeon fondly recalls his time at UT, meeting graduate students from across Tennessee and around the world.
“I was immersed in the culture and loved it,” he says. “The spirit of the people at UT was very welcoming. The other students and faculty were hospitable and took care of us. It became ingrained in me that this kindness is the culture of Tennessee and America.”
Scholarships helped cover a portion of the cost of international education for Turgeon. He also received financial support from the department in the form of a graduate research assistant position, providing funds to cover the cost of living and studying in the U.S.
“This made it possible to attend UT,” Turgeon says. “I was very touched that they would help me financially.”
It was this positive experience that inspired Turgeon to create the Normand Turgeon Ph.D. Marketing Fellowship Endowment, which will fund graduate fellowships in the Haslam Department of Marketing.
“This is what it means to be a Vol,” Turgeon says. “It means that I can help doctorate students make their professional aspirations a reality—just like UT did for me.”
Turgeon’s successful career includes 33 years at HEC Montreal and 10 years teaching at a technician school in Quebec. He was the marketing area coordinator in the Bcom, MBA and M.Sc. programs at HEC Montreal Turgeon’s areas of expertise include strategic marketing, business development and marketing management. He is co-author of a textbook and of a business book that was selected as the best business book in French in Canada in 1999.
He served as vice chairman of the board of the Centre d’etudes des medias, a consortium of Universite Laval, HEC Montreal and UQAM, which studies managerial, economics and policy issues related to the media industries in Canada. Turgeon also consulted for many corporations in Quebec and served as special adviser to the Canadian Department of Justice.
In 2020, Turgeon retired as Honorary Professor in the Department of Marketing at HEC Montreal. A portion of his legacy at HEC Montreal is a strong connection to Haslam. During his final semester at UT, he volunteered to test a new marketing simulation game created by Haslam professor Ernie Cadotte. Turgeon saw the education potential for the new simulation and, at the first opportunity, brought the teaching tool to HEC Montreal.
“I found the marketplace game so helpful for students to understand the business world,” Turgeon says. “When I retired, it was still in the pedagogy for the class.”
While using the simulation in his classes, Turgeon stayed in contact with Cadotte and kept up with his alma mater.
“I’m pleased to see the continued growth of Haslam,” he says. “And now, I’m proud to contribute to the important work the college is doing to create a diverse culture where students can be successful.”
As an alum, Turgeon urges other Haslam alumni to become involved in the future of the college.
“Determine your capacity to help Haslam be even more successful,” Turgeon says. “As an alumnus, I feel it is part of alumni’s responsibility to continue to support the achievement of our alma mater.”