Neeli Bendapudi is an Indian-American academic administrator who is the 19th president of Pennsylvania State University.[1] From 2018 until 2021, she served as the 18th president of the University of Louisville.[2] In December 2021, Penn State announced Bendapudi as the university's president; she succeeded Eric J. Barron following his retirement.[3] She assumed office in May 2022 and is the first woman and the first non-white person to serve as Penn State's president.[4]
Neeli Bendapudi | |
|---|---|
 Neeli Bendapudi in 2024 | |
| 19th President of Pennsylvania State University | |
| Assumed office May 9, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Eric J. Barron |
| 18th President of the University of Louisville | |
| In office May 15, 2018 – December 9, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | James R. Ramsey |
| Succeeded by | Lori Stewart Gonzalez (interim) |
| Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor of the University of Kansas | |
| In office July 1, 2016 – April 27, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Jeffrey Vitter |
| Succeeded by | Carl Lejuez (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1962 or 1963 (age 61–62) Visakhapatnam, India |
| Education | Andhra University (BA, MBA) University of Kansas (PhD) |
Early life and education
editNeeli was born in Visakhapatnam, India. Both her parents, T. Ramesh Dutta and Padma Dutta, were professors in English in Andhra University.[5] She attended Andhra University, where she earned an undergraduate and master's degree.[6] She moved to the United States in 1986 to attend graduate school at the University of Kansas, where she earned her Ph.D. in marketing.[7]
Career
editNeeli held teaching posts at both Ohio State University and Texas A&M University before returning to the University of Kansas to serve as the dean of the University of Kansas School of Business. From 1 July 2016, until her election as president at the University of Louisville, she served as provost and executive vice chancellor of the University of Kansas.[8] Following her tenure at the University of Kansas, her successor cut 150 faculty and staff positions in the midst of budget strains.[9]
Neeli was named president of the University of Louisville on 3 April 2018, and her first day was 15 May 2018. She replaced James R. Ramsey, who resigned after a 2015 sex scandal that implicated him.[10] She is the first non-white president of the University of Louisville and indicated an intention to develop a culture of openness.[11] On 13 July 2018, she, in response to Papa John's Pizza founder John Schnatter's use of a racial slur, announced that Schnatter's name would be struck from U of L's football stadium's name. She resigned as president of the University of Louisville on 13 December 2021, following her selection as the 19th president of the Pennsylvania State University.[12] She was succeeded by interim president Lori Stewart Gonzalez.
She also previously served as executive vice president and chief customer officer for Huntington National Bank.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Penn State President". The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ^ "Biography — Office of the President". louisville.edu.
- ^ "Penn State names Neeli Bendapudi as next president". psu.edu.
- ^ "Neeli Bendapudi to be the first woman and the first person of color to serve as Penn State's president". wpsu.org. December 9, 2021.
- ^ Service, Express News (December 11, 2021). "Vizag's Neeli Bendapudi named first woman president of Pennsylvania University". The New Indian Express. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Moyer, Josh (December 9, 2021). "4 things to know about Neeli Bendapudi, Penn State's 19th (and newest) president". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Torrejón, Rodrigo (December 9, 2021). "Five things to know about Penn State's new president Neeli Bendapudi". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ "From India to Stouffer Place, and now Strong Hall: An interview with KU's new provost". LJWorld.com.
- ^ "KU employees say layoffs are a 'cruel' and 'insensitive' fix to campus budget crisis". The Kansas City Star.
- ^ "Ramsey resigns at U of L | What we know now". The Courier-Journal.
- ^ "The University of Louisville has a new president. Here's what you should know about her". The Courier-Journal.
- ^ Watkins, Morgan; Sonka, Joe (December 13, 2021). "University of Louisville names interim president after Neeli Bendapudi's exit". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Neeli Bendapudi: 5 Points On 2023 US Immigrant Achievement Award Winner". NDTV.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.