{"id":155831,"date":"2026-07-16T16:47:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T14:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bbs.unibo.it\/?post_type=press&p=155831"},"modified":"2026-07-16T17:10:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T15:10:42","slug":"christiane-spitzmueller-appointed-dean-of-bologna-business-school","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.bbs.unibo.it\/en\/press\/christiane-spitzmueller-appointed-dean-of-bologna-business-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Christiane Spitzmueller Appointed Dean of Bologna Business School"},"content":{"rendered":"

An accomplished academic leader at leading international universities and a distinguished scholar, Christiane Spitzmueller<\/strong> will assume the role of Dean of Bologna Business School<\/strong> on September 15, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Bologna, July 16, 2026<\/strong> \u2013 Christiane Spitzmueller is Professor of Psychological Sciences and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Strategy at the University of California, Merced, where she oversees the University’s strategic planning, institutional analytics, and academic portfolio management. Throughout her career, she has combined an outstanding research profile with increasingly senior leadership responsibilities, contributing to the development of academic programs, strategic initiatives, and internationally recognized research partnerships.<\/p>\n

She founded the Center for Applied Psychological Research<\/strong> at the University of Houston and currently directs the Center for Excellence in Faculty Advancement (CEFA)<\/strong>, a research consortium supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation that is dedicated to advancing academic careers. Her research, recognized in 2025 with the Raymond A. Katzell Award<\/strong> from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, focuses on the relationship between universities, organizations, and human development, with a strong emphasis on fostering collaboration between academia and industry.<\/p>\n

Originally from Germany, after more than twenty years of academic leadership in the United States and numerous international collaborations across Europe, Canada, and Nigeria, Christiane Spitzmueller will relocate to Bologna with her family.<\/p>\n

“I am thrilled to join a School that is experiencing an extraordinary period of growth, built upon the outstanding leadership of Max Bergami,”<\/em> said Christiane Spitzmueller. “Bologna Business School is truly unique, bringing together world-class academic research and one of Europe’s most dynamic industrial ecosystems, spanning sectors from agribusiness to the Motor Valley. I look forward to contributing to the future of BBS and to the broader academic and entrepreneurial ecosystem of the region, while making Bologna the home of my family.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The appointment of Christiane Spitzmueller marks another important milestone in Bologna Business School’s internationalization strategy. Her extensive experience in academic leadership, strategic planning, and building partnerships between universities, institutions, and businesses will further strengthen the School’s international profile while expanding opportunities for collaboration, research, and education for the benefit of the entire BBS community, including students, alumni, faculty, and corporate partners.<\/p>\n

The appointment was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of the Bologna Business School Foundation<\/strong>, following an international search and selection process launched in the autumn of 2025. The process was led by an international Search Committee chaired by Laurent Choain<\/strong> (Chief People and Culture Officer, Accor) and composed of Michele Antoniazzi<\/strong> (Chief HR Officer, Ferrari), Giorgio Bellettini<\/strong> (Vice Rector for Human Resources, University of Bologna), Helke Carvalho Hernandes<\/strong> (Vice President, EFMD), Alice Guilhon<\/strong> (Dean, SKEMA Business School), Andrea Pontremoli<\/strong> (CEO, Dallara), and Max Bergami<\/strong> (Executive President, Bologna Business School). The Committee reviewed 76 applications<\/strong> from around the world, confirming the School’s growing international reputation.<\/p>\n

“The Board reached this decision following an extensive selection process conducted by a committee composed of highly distinguished leaders representing the Foundation’s Members and other key stakeholders, to whom we extend our sincere gratitude for their professionalism and commitment,”<\/em> said Max Bergami, Executive President of Bologna Business School<\/strong>. “I look to the future of Bologna Business School with great confidence and believe that Professor Spitzmueller will make a significant contribution by bringing new perspectives and expertise to BBS. I like to think that BBS believed in her\u2014and that Professor Spitzmueller believed in us.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Professor Spitzmueller will be officially introduced to the BBS community during Graduation 2026<\/strong>, which will take place on September 18<\/strong> in Piazza Maggiore<\/strong>. The ceremony will feature an address by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa<\/strong> and will also be attended by the Provost of the University of California, Merced<\/strong>, who will accompany Professor Spitzmueller as she begins her new role.<\/p>\n

Christiane Spitzmueller \u2014 Short Bio<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Christiane Spitzmueller joins Bologna Business School as Dean. She arrives from the University of California, Merced, where she is Professor of Psychological Sciences and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Strategy, overseeing the university’s strategic planning, institutional analytics, and academic portfolio management and assessment. A founder in spirit, she has spent her career building institutions at the intersection of rigorous science and practical impact. She founded the Center for Applied Psychological Research at the University of Houston and today leads the Center for Excellence in Faculty Advancement (CEFA), a multi-institution research consortium funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation that has produced the largest quantitative studies of how universities make faculty career decisions. She holds more than $6 million in active NSF funding, led the development of UC Merced’s first Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant, and her team’s work has been recognized with national honors including the American Psychological Association Division 14 Katzell Award for public and policy impact. Faculty careers are her expertise twice over: as a scientist who studies how institutions evaluate, advance, and retain academic talent, and as an administrator who has led those systems in practice. Her research appears in Nature Human Behaviour, Nature Communications, Research Policy, and the Journal of Applied Psychology, much of it conducted in partnership with industry, reflecting her conviction that universities and industry thrive as one ecosystem rather than two worlds. Her experience is deliberately international, including work at Lagos Business School in Nigeria and at Memorial University of Newfoundland’s business school in Canada. Originally German and European at heart, she comes to Italy with the mindset of an immigrant who intends to make it home, together with her family. In her abundant spare time, she is a long-distance runner, ceramicist, and mother to Sophie, Emma and Nora.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An accomplished academic leader at leading international universities and a distinguished scholar, Christiane Spitzmueller will assume the role of Dean of Bologna Business School on September 15, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"template":"","class_list":["post-155831","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChristiane Spitzmueller Appointed Dean of Bologna Business School | BBS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbs.unibo.it\/en\/press\/christiane-spitzmueller-appointed-dean-of-bologna-business-school\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Christiane Spitzmueller Appointed Dean of Bologna Business School | BBS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An accomplished academic leader at 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