“As a pioneering researcher and teacher in the field of human resource management, Bruno Staffelbach  has been and continues to be involved in the development of numerous international networks and is helping to establish this subject area in the field of business administration in Switzerland, both in research and in continuing education.” This was the reasoning given by the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Fribourg for awarding the honorary doctorate, following a recommendation by the Department of Business Administration. As a management researcher, Bruno Staffelbach has also enjoyed an “exceptional career as a leader in various organisational contexts”, including as President of the University of Lucerne, Brigadier in the Swiss Army, and as a member of the boards of directors of Swiss companies and international organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The honorary title will be conferred on 15 November in Fribourg during the Dies Academicus, in the presence of Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, among others. The day before, Bruno Staffelbach will give a public lecture entitled “Leadership in Different Organisational Contexts". Drawing on his experiences, observations and reflections, he will address two distinct contexts: first, the specific challenges of university leadership; and second, selected myths of military leadership and the broader significance of myths in leadership. Bruno Staffelbach expresses his delight: “In 1987, I held a teaching position at the University of Fribourg, and in 1991, I received a call from this university. So, I've come full circle”. 

Since 2016, Bruno Staffelbach has been a professor and director of the Centre for Human Resource Management (CEHRM) at the University of Lucerne, and he served as President of the university from 2016 to 2024. Before that, he was a professor at the University of Zurich from 1992 onwards. A Lucerne native, his research focuses on human resource management and management ethics; among other contributions, he is co-editor of the long-term study “Swiss Human Relations Barometer”. Bruno Staffelbach will retire at the end of July 2026. You may already save the date of 10 June 2026, when he will deliver his farewell lecture at the University of Lucerne.

Bruno Staffelbach is the fifth professor at the University of Lucerne to receive an honorary doctorate and may henceforth use the title “Dr. h.c. ” (Doctor honoris causa). He follows law professors Paul Eitel (2024, University of Basel), Roland Norer (2021, University of Miskolc, Hungary) and Paolo Becchi (2014, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary), as well as philosophy professor Karen Gloy (2002, University of Ioannina, Greece).