PULLMAN — Eric Spangenberg has accepted the post of Dean of the College of Business and Economics. He served as associate dean for faculty affairs and research since 2002 and most recently as senior associate dean of the College. Len Jessup, former dean, was recently named president of the Washington State University Foundation and vice president for university development.
“I am very pleased that Eric Spangenberg has agreed to serve as dean of the College of Business and Economics (CBE),” said Robert Bates, Provost and Academic Vice President. “He was very instrumental in guiding the college through the recent accreditation review which involved significant refinement of college programs and processes. As a member of the leadership team, he was very effective in helping shape the vision and development of a strong strategic plan for the college.
“These efforts position the college as a premier place for students to prepare for future success in their careers and an environment in which faculty can achieve distinction and recognition for their scholarly work. With the appointment of Eric, and the strong support of his administrative leaders for continuation of the building and strengthening of its programs, I expect CBE to be one of the leading colleges of business in the Northwest.”
“I feel honored to have been named dean by Provost Bates and I view it as a privilege to serve WSU in this capacity,” says Spangenberg. “The faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the college work well together, and I’m excited to meet the challenge of leading this team. Our momentum and drive will insure that the CBE continues to offer world class programs. We have charted an ambitious course with our mission, vision, and goals and I am committed to seeing our business school flourish and contribute to the well-being of the State of Washington, our nation, and the world. We are on the move and we don’t plan on slowing up any time soon.”
Spangenberg holds the Geoff and Florence Maughmer Freedom Philosophy Endowed Chair, his second high honor in the college. Previously, he was the first professor to hold the Gardner O. Hart Faculty Excellence Distinguished Professorship. Spangenberg is an alumnus of the college, having earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1982. With an MBA from Portland State University and a doctorate in marketing/social psychology from the University of Washington, he returned to WSU as an assistant professor in marketing in 1990. He was promoted to associate professor in 1997 and was granted tenure. In 2003 he was promoted to full professor.
He is renowned as a leading researcher and productive scholastic author. His streams of inquiry include the normative relevance and theoretical underpinnings of self-prophecy as an influence technique for encouraging socially desirable behaviors, measurement of unobservable constructs, consumer skepticism toward advertising, and environmental psychology.
Spangenberg is an award-winning teacher, and his widely cited publications include more than 25 refereed journal articles and an equal number of book chapters and refereed conference proceedings. He serves on the editorial review board for the Journal of Consumer Research and conducts reviews for a dozen or more scholarly journals.
Spangenberg has served WSU as vice chair of the Faculty Senate, chair of the WSU Faculty Affairs Committee and on numerous university and college committees.
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