Indian-origin professor Neeli Bendapudi scripted history when she was unanimously appointed as the next president of the Pennsylvania State University in the US.
Bendapudi has been unanimously named Penn State’s next president by the Penn State Board of Trustees on December 9. When she begins her tenure as Penn State’s 19th president in spring 2022, she will be the first woman and person of color to serve as the university president.
Hailing from Visakhapatnam, Bendapudi left for the US in 1986 for higher studies after completing Bachelor’s and an MBA from India. At present, she is the president and professor of marketing at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. She is a well-known personality in the higher education space and specialises in marketing and consumer behaviour.
Her career as an educator spans almost 3 decades and she has also held prestigious positions at the University of Kansas, dean of the School of Business at the University of Kansas, and founding director of the Initiative for Managing Services at Ohio State University.
Reacting to her historic appointment, she said, “Penn State is a world-class university, and I couldn’t be prouder and more excited to join this vibrant community of outstanding students, faculty, staff and alumni throughout the commonwealth and beyond.”
“Thank you to the Penn State community and Board of Trustees. I am grateful for this opportunity and will make it my mission to help Penn State reach new heights across each of our campuses,” she added.
Bendapudi will succeed President Eric J Barron, who would be retiring after serving Penn State for more than 30 years.
“We are proud to welcome Dr. Bendapudi to Penn State. She is a dynamic and innovative leader who has dedicated nearly her entire professional life to higher education and is prepared to help our University advance in the ways we support students, create new knowledge and serve society,” said Matt Schuyler, chair of the Board of Trustees.
“I want to extend my appreciation on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees to the many Penn State community members who participated in this selection process. Your engagement served as a critical framework throughout the search and has helped lead us to this exciting new chapter in Penn State’s history.”
