Neeli Bendapudi
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 62–63) Visakhapatnam, India |
| Education | Andhra University (BA, MBA) University of Kansas (PhD) |
Neeli Bendapudi (née Dutta) 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]
Early life and education
[edit]Bendapudi 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 in 1994.[7][8]
Career
[edit]Bendapudi has done consulting work for clients including Cessna, Deloitte, and Procter & Gamble.[8] She has previously served as executive vice president and chief customer officer for Huntington National Bank.[9][when?]
Bendapudi held teaching posts at both Texas A&M University and Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business 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]
Bendapudi 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, in response to Papa John's Pizza founder John Schnatter's use of a racial slur, Bendapudi announced that Schnatter's name would be struck from the U of L's football stadium's name. On 13 December 2021, following Bendapudi's selection as the 19th president of Pennsylvania State University, she resigned as president of the University of Louisville, where she was succeeded by interim president Lori Stewart Gonzalez,.[12]
For the 2023–2024 academic year, Bendapudi's base salary as President of Penn State University was $950,000.[13] In September 2025, the Penn State board of trustees voted to increase Bendapudi's base salary by 47% to $1.4 million a year, the highest salary of any president in the Big Ten.[14][15]
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.
- ^ a b c Shepherd, Sara (June 19, 2016). "From India to Stouffer Place, and now Strong Hall: An interview with KU's new provost". Lawrence Journal-World. Ogden Newspapers. Archived from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
- ^ Pandey, Nikhil (April 27, 2023). "Neeli Bendapudi: 5 Points On 2023 US Immigrant Achievement Award Winner". NDTV. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "Ramsey resigns at U of L | What we know now". The Courier-Journal.
- ^ Hall, Shannon (April 3, 2018). "The University of Louisville has a new president. Here's what you should know about her". Courier Journal.
- ^ Watkins, Morgan; Sonka, Joe (December 13, 2021). "University of Louisville names interim president after Neeli Bendapudi's exit". Courier Journal. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ Rushton, Geoff (February 16, 2024). "Board Approves Compensation Increase, New Contract Structure for Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi". StateCollege.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
- ^ Adele, Chilekasi (September 17, 2025). "Penn State University approves salary increase for school president, making her second-highest paid in U.S." CBS News. Archived from the original on September 23, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
- ^ Aiken, Maddie (September 16, 2025). "Penn State branch campus professors outraged as President Bendapudi gets 47% pay raise amid campus closures". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National |
