Office of the Provost

Charles A. Pierce named dean of Oakland University’s business school

icon of a calendarJuly 7, 2022

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Charles A. Pierce named dean of Oakland University’s business school
Elliott Hall

Following a national search, Oakland University has selected Charles A. Pierce, Ph.D., as dean of its School of Business Administration. He will begin his new role on Monday, Aug. 1, pending approval by OU’s Board of Trustees. 

Charles A. Pierce

Charles A. Pierce

Dr. Pierce comes to Oakland after 18 years at the University of Memphis, where he most recently was appointed to serve as interim dean and professor of Management at the Fogelman College of Business and Economics (FCBE). He previously served as Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Research, Chair of the Department of Management and Coordinator of the Management Ph.D. Program at FCBE. He also served as Chair of the Department of Psychology and Coordinator of the Applied Psychology M.S. Program at Montana State University. 

Dr. Pierce's research interests include workplace romance, sexual harassment in organizations, test bias and discrimination in the selection of human capital, and organizational research methods. His work has been published in leading scholarly journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Journal of Management.

Dr. Pierce has 51 research publications and more than 8,300 Google Scholar citations to his credit, and he currently serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Management, Journal of Business and Psychology, and Journal of Managerial Psychology. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and received awards, including best paper in the Journal of Organizational Behavior.

"I'm honored and thrilled to serve as Dean of the School of Business Administration at Oakland University. I'm excited to help elevate the school's research and teaching missions, and see students, faculty, staff, alumni, business community, and other stakeholders thrive in their professional and personal lives,” Dr. Pierce said. “As a former resident of Troy during my childhood, I can't wait to move back to the great state of Michigan to work at Oakland University. Go Grizzlies!"

Dr. Pierce received a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Syracuse University, and a master of arts and a Ph.D. degree in psychology from the University at Albany-SUNY. His leadership roles also include serving as Treasurer and as an elected member of the executive committee for the Academy of Management's Research Methods Division, as an elected Fellow of the Southern Management Association and as an elected Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He is also Coordinator of the Mid-South Management Research Consortium. 

“I am certain that with the combination of his education, curricular expertise and research skills, leadership achievements, and deep commitment to serving students and colleagues alike, Dr. Pierce will help oversee continued success within the School of Business Administration and at Oakland University,” said OU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis. 

Dr. Pierce will succeed the current dean of OU’s business school, Dr. Michael Mazzeo, who is retiring from the university with an eight-year legacy of enhancing the school’s reputation and elevating its level of recognition. 

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