Eric Spangenberg has been chosen as new dean of UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business. He begins in this new and exciting role June 1.
“We’re excited to welcome a leader with Eric Spangenberg’s academic qualifications, administrative abilities and energy to The Paul Merage School of Business,” said UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake. “His experience and leadership will help secure our position on the global stage as we celebrate our 50th anniversary and look forward to the future.”
Spangenberg is a recognized international scholar and committed fundraiser—he has established entrepreneurial initiatives now generating multimillion-dollar revenue streams.
He is currently serving his ninth year as dean of Washington State University’s College of Business, and has overseen historic increases in MBA and Ph.D. enrollments while strategically revising curricula. Spangenberg took leadership in developing and launching online MBA programs that were ranked No. 1 last year by U.S. News & World Report, and online undergraduate degree programs have grown by more than 50-percent during his tenure.
Paul Merage, the business school’s namesake, advised the 13-member committee who had been tasked with appointing a new dean and met with final candidates.
“Eric has demonstrated a talent for strategic innovation and has a solid track record of program implementation,” Merage said. “He is focused on outreach to the business community and will bring energetic leadership to the business school. I believe Eric will ably navigate the business school through the next stage of excellence and recognition on the global stage.”
