Fronmueller, who has more than 20 years experience in higher education, will assume his new duties on July 1.

"Dr. Fronmueller's extensive research interests in such subjects as strategic management, marketing, international business and buyer-seller relations, as well as his experience as a teacher and administrator make him a wonderful choice as dean of our College of Business and Economics," said Louanne Kennedy, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "He brings exceptional expertise to his new position and we are looking forward to having him join the university."

Fronmueller succeeds William Hosek, who is retiring at the end of June.

CSUN's College of Business and Economics has about 6,200 students and includes the departments of accounting and information systems, business law, economics, finance, real estate and insurance, management, management science and marketing. Fronmueller said he is looking forward to coming to Southern California and joining the Cal State Northridge community.

"There is a lot of excitement on campus and in the community and I am looking forward to being a part of that," he said. "In the San Fernando Valley as a whole, it is a very exciting time. There are a lot of things happening and the businesses in the area are really making it one of theplaces in the world to be."

Fronmueller said one of the first things he is going to do when he gets to campus is listen.

"I plan to do a lot of listening, to people both on and off campus, to learn about the community and the campus," he said. "I am very supportive of the notion that we have to have partnerships with the community and that we need to work with the community. I want to know what their needs are."

While at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Fronmueller helped develop the College of Business Administration's business systems and technology major. He also launched projects to develop an executive MBA program with a focus on the healthcare industry and a consortium-based online MBA program in collaboration with other campuses in the University of Louisiana system.

He also helped raise $3.4 million to fund 14 professorships and two endowed chairs in entrepreneurship and e-business.

Before moving to Lafayette in 1999, Fronmueller served as chair of the department of management at Boise State University where is department was the first to offer courses over the Internet.

Fronmueller did his undergraduate studies in Germany before coming to the United States to get his MBS at Eastern Washington University. He received his doctorate from Washington State University with major fields in strategic management, organization/management theory and marketing. His research interests include strategic international business management and buyer-seller relations. He is currently doing a study on the characteristics of successful international business programs.

He is married and has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter.