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Barbara Rau will take over as leader of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Business (COB) on July 1.

Rau, who currently serves as associate dean, was selected as dean following a national search.

“During my 19 years working in our College of Business, I have been humbled by the accomplishments of our faculty, students and staff, and I am honored by the opportunity to serve as their dean,” Rau said. “Thanks to the work of Interim Dean Scott Beyer and our leadership team, the College is poised to pursue new program initiatives, continue its excellent research, and develop innovative ways to teach others what we know about business success. I look forward to working toward these goals by building collaborative relationships across campus, in our community and beyond.”

Rau will take over the COB from Beyer, who is serving as interim dean.

The COB at UW Oshkosh offers both undergraduate and master’s level degrees. The College is made up of six departments, has nearly 50 faculty members and includes several Centers, which help the University connect with and provide resources to the greater community.

Rau

In her role Rau will oversee the COB—one of four colleges at UW Oshkosh. The COB has been accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International since 1970. AACSB International is the most prestigious international accrediting body specifically for schools/colleges of business—and a distinction less than 5 percent of the world’s 13,000+ business programs maintain. The COB at UW Oshkosh is the only business program in Northeast and Central Wisconsin offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees accredited by AACSB.

“As a faculty member, department chair and associate dean, Dr. Rau has long been an active leader in terms of promoting academic excellence, fair and transparent personnel practices and thoughtful change,” UW Oshkosh Provost Lane Earns said. “I am confident that as dean of the College of Business, she will employ her collaborative leadership style to usher in an exciting new era for the College, while strengthening ties across campus and with the greater community.”

Rau has been with the COB since 1997—she started as an assistant professor and worked her way through the faculty ranks until she served as department chair from 2013 to 2015 and finally associate dean from 2015 until the present. Prior to her time at UW Oshkosh, she taught at Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations at the University of New Jersey.

In addition to numerous presentations at national conferences, Rau has published in academic journals such as Academy of Management and Learning Education, Journal of Human Resources Education and Personnel Psychology. Rau also has served for several years on the Editorial Review Board of the Academy of Management Journal. Her interests include salary negotiations, recruitment, employee relations and work/life balance.

Beyond her role at UW Oshkosh, Rau has been a member of the Academy of Management, the Industrial Relations Research Association and the Society for Human Resources Management since 1990. She has also been involved with the Oshkosh Society for Human Resource Management since 2011.

Rau earned doctorate and master’s degrees from the UW-Madison Industrial Relations Research Institute, specializing in personnel and organizational behavior, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from UW-Madison.

As the first female dean to lead the COB, Rau will join an elite group of women who comprise less than 20 percent of business deans across the country.

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