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Harsha Gangadharbatla named interim Hussman dean
Indian American academic Harsha Gangadharbatla will assume interim leadership of UNC's journalism school beginning Aug. 1.
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Pranavi Sharma - Thu, 30, Jul 2026
- 02:40 EDT
- 30
Harsha Gangadharbatla / UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Indian American academic Harsha Gangadharbatla has been appointed interim dean of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Magnus Egerstedt announced on July 29.
Gangadharbatla, the school's senior associate dean for academic and faculty affairs and the Hugh Morton Distinguished Professor, will assume the role on Aug. 1. He succeeds 'Raul Reis,' who stepped down after serving four years as dean to focus on research and teaching.
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According to the university, Gangadharbatla brings more than a decade of administrative experience in higher education. Before joining the University of North Carolina, he served on the provost's committee that helped establish the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder, the institution's first new college in 53 years.
He also served as associate dean of faculty development at the college and was the founding chairperson of its advertising, public relations and media department.
Gangadharbatla has held leadership roles in academic organizations, including serving as president of the American Academy of Advertising and leading the advertising division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
He has received several career honors, including the Charles H. Sandage Award for Teaching Excellence and the William Payden Award for Faculty Excellence.
His research focuses on the role of technology in advertising, the role of advertising in society and environmental communication. The university said his academic background spans multiple disciplines, with an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology in India, a master's degree in advertising from Michigan State University and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.
The University of North Carolina said it will begin a search for a permanent dean for the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media in the coming months.
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