ARLINGTON, Texas, Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Texas at Arlington announces the appointment of Rachel Croson, a UT Dallas economics professor and the director of the UT Dallas Negotiations Center, as dean of the College of Business.

For the past two years, Croson has served as the National Science Foundation's division director for Social and Economic Sciences, managing a $100 million annual budget and eight programs.

Croson served as an assistant and associate professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania before joining the University of Texas at Dallas in 2007. She earned her bachelor's degree in economics and philosophy of science from the University of Pennsylvania and holds master's and doctoral degrees in economics from Harvard University.

"The University of Texas at Arlington is a tremendous institution with exceptional students, accomplished faculty, dedicated staff and an impressive leadership team," Croson said. "I'm looking forward to building on the strong reputation of the UT Arlington College of Business and working to attract new, philanthropic support for the college."

UT Arlington President James D. Spaniolo said Croson brings a breadth of teaching and interdisciplinary research experience that will further advance UT Arlington's mission of becoming a nationally recognized research institution.

"Dean Croson already has accomplished much in her career, and we are pleased that she will lead this dynamic academic division of The University of Texas at Arlington," Spaniolo said. "Our business programs are outstanding. We will look to her to build upon our successes and propel these critical programs to the next level."

Croson was selected from an impressive field of candidates after an extensive, national search, said Ron Elsenbaumer, UT Arlington provost and vice president for academic affairs.

"We are extremely pleased to recruit someone of Dr. Croson's caliber as our next dean of the College of Business," Elsenbaumer said. "She has a strong history of collaborating with colleagues across disciplines and a reputation of working toward innovation and excellence."

UT Dallas President David E. Daniel called Croson "a very accomplished researcher" and an important mentor of students.

"We are very proud of her achievements and we congratulate UT Arlington on adding a highly qualified individual to its faculty and administration, someone whom we look forward to working with in this new role," Daniel said.

Croson succeeds Dan Himarios, who recently was named UT Arlington vice provost and executive director of the Center for Global Academic Initiatives. She officially begins her new position Jan. 14, 2013.

The UT Arlington College of Business is the second largest academic unit within the University with a fall 2012 enrollment of almost 5,700 students. Its business administration and accounting programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Much of Croson's research has centered on experimental and behavioral economics, investigating how people make economic decisions and how to improve them, she said.

Those subject areas draw on and contribute to many disciplines, including economics, management, marketing, operations, political science and sociology, and her work has been published in myriad journals. As director of UT Dallas' Negotiations Center, she connected negotiation scholars with practitioners and business leaders to inform business practice through education and outreach.

Croson also is the co-editor of a forthcoming book, Oxford Handbook of Economic Conflict Resolution, with Gary Bolton, and is currently researching motivations for charitable giving, among other subjects.

About the UT Arlington College of Business
The College of Business is one of the largest and most productive business schools in the nation. It offers 16 undergraduate business degree programs, 10 specialized master's degrees, the M.B.A. in two formats, a 15-month Executive M.B.A. and a Ph.D. in Business. The College also offers one of the most successful Executive M.B.A. programs in China.

The College's Master of Science in Marketing Research program is consistently recognized as one of the top five programs of its kind in the nation. The College also operates the Goolsby Leadership Academy, which prepares select undergraduate business majors with rigorous development in leadership principles and business ethics.

About The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of more than 33,200 students and more than 2,200 faculty members in the heart of North Texas and the second largest member of The University of Texas System. Research activity has more than tripled over the past decade to $71.4 million last year with an emphasis on bioengineering, medical diagnostics, micro manufacturing and defense and Homeland Security technologies, among other areas. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more.

SOURCE University of Texas at Arlington