Barbara A. Fritzsche, Ph.D., has been named associate dean for the College of Graduate Studies. She begins her new duties, August 6.

Professor Fritzsche will lead the student services team with a focus on developing infrastructures, research and business plans in support of graduate student persistence. She will work with the campus-wide graduate community to develop best practices and relevant interventions that will lead to increased student retention.

Dr. Fritzsche previously served as director of the doctorate program in industrial and organizational psychology and received the College of Sciences Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching. In addition to her leadership, teaching and research roles in the Department of Psychology, Fritzsche also taught part-time in the Professional MS in Management program and in an executive MBA program.

“Helping students complete their graduate studies successfully is an integral part of our mission,” said Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president of research and dean of the College of Graduate Studies. “Dr. Fritzsche will work with our team and the campus community to ensure our students have a good experience. Through our collective efforts, we will achieve our goals of increasing graduate enrollment, improving graduation rates and then seeing our grads move on to do big things.”

Prior to teaching at UCF, Fritzsche taught at the University of North Florida and worked as project director in research and development for Psychological Assessment Resource Inc., a psychological-test publisher. Her background includes evaluating, developing and validating psychological tests, conducting job analyses, and managerial assessment and development.

“My goal is to be of service to the UCF community so that all graduate students feel valued, successful, supported and connected to UCF,” Fritzsche said.

Fritzsche has a doctorate in industrial and organizational psychology from the University of South Florida and her research interests include workplace diversity, especially the aging workforce, and workplace wellness initiatives.