Bruce Blonigen has been named Edward Maletis Dean of the Lundquist College of Business, a position he has held since July 2022 on a two-year appointment, Provost Chris Long announced. He was selected following a national search with feedback from faculty, staff and students at the college and others on campus who attended the search events.
Blonigen has been at the University of Oregon for nearly 30 years and has served in various leadership roles, including department head in economics, associate dean for social sciences, dean for faculty and operations in the College of Arts and Sciences, and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
“Bruce is an internationally recognized scholar and accomplished academic leader, who has earned his colleagues’ trust,” Long said. “He is a values-driven leader who has demonstrated a commitment to belonging, empathy and active listening in his successful efforts to recruit and retain world-class faculty, enhance student success and nurture collaborative partnerships that advance the university’s strategic goals to be a leading center for innovative teaching and research.”
The search committee noted Blonigen’s accomplishments over the past two years as Lundquist dean. He hired 17 new tenure-track faculty members with more than half being women and/or people of color. He has raised more than $35 million since summer 2022, which has outpaced the historic average. He also relaunched the college’s Inclusion Council and instituted annual internal grants for projects to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and he has developed more than 50 action plans to address concerns raised in the college’s climate survey results.
“Each student walking on our campus has their own unique journey and aspirations that we are here to nurture and support,” Blonigen said. “Over the last two years, my excitement for the opportunities in front of the college have grown as has my desire to apply my leadership skills and many years of experience to help the college realize its full potential.”
While serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Bruce guided the college through the pandemic and served on the president’s senior leadership team to help advise on high-level university matters during those trying times.
Blonigen holds master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from University of California at Davis, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, among numerous other professional positions and honors. He also has authored and edited numerous books and journal articles. Bruce joined the UO faculty in 1995 and was named the Phillip H. Knight Professor of Social Science in 2001.
“Please join me in thanking Karen Ford, who served as provost during the search, as well as the members of the search committee, chaired by Laura Lee McIntyre, dean of the College of Education, for their work in bringing this search to such a successful conclusion,” Long said.
Blonigen’s appointment begins immediately.