DATE: January 15, 2008

CONTACT: Clemens Schmitz-Justen, (864) 656-1346
csj@clemson.edu

WRITER: Amanda Brock, (864) 656-5970
brock4@clemson.edu

WRITER: Teresa C. Hopkins, (864) 656-1222
hopkin1@clemson.edu

Former BMW president joins Clemson business college

CLEMSON — Clemens Schmitz-Justen, former president of BMW Manufacturing LLC in Spartanburg, has joined the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson University as director of international programs.

Schmitz-Justen will lead the college in moving forward with plans to internationalize the educational and networking opportunities for students.

"We are excited to have Clemens join the college. His international experiences in corporate and academic realms will greatly benefit our students as they enter the global workforce and support the ongoing international affiliations of the faculty," said Claude Lilly, dean of the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson.

"I am very excited about taking the international activities in the college to the next level," Schmitz-Justen said, recognizing Clemson's vision of internationalization. He sees great potential for adding to the international visibility of the university.

In his role as director of international programs, Schmitz-Justen will bring a new focus to the international relationships of the college and work to strengthen ties and working relationships with business schools around the world.

Schmitz-Justen is an adjunct professor at Chemnitz Technical University in Germany. He received a manufacturing engineering degree from Technical University of Aachen.