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Prashanth Bharadwaj to lead Eberly College of Business
The Indian American academic is the only faculty member to get two of the university's highest honors.
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Anushka Pathak - Fri, 20, Feb 2026
- 16:18 EST
- 22
Prashanth Bharadwaj / Courtesy: IUP
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) has appointed Indian American academic Prashanth Bharadwaj as the permanent dean of the Eberly College of Business, effective May 16.
Bharadwaj has served twice as interim dean, from Jan. 2022 to June 2023 and again since June 2024, and will continue in that capacity until the transition.
A longtime faculty member and administrator, he has been credited with strengthening institutional stability, advancing student outcomes, maintaining accreditation standards, and expanding the college’s global footprint.
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Responding to the appointment, Bharadwaj said, "I am deeply honored and humbled by the confidence that the provost, the president, and university leadership at IUP have in me." Reflecting on his three decades at IUP, he said he has contributed to nearly every facet of the Eberly College and collaborated with faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, advisory council members, and international partners.
"I look forward to working with our stakeholders in further highlighting these accomplishments and advancing Eberly College’s vision of being recognized globally as a premier business school," he added.
Provost and vice president for academic affairs Lara Luetkehans said Bharadwaj provided continuity and progress during his interim leadership. She described him as “an outstanding faculty member, administrator, and interim dean for the Eberly College of Business,” adding that he provided stability and moved the college forward while serving in the interim role.
“Dr. Bharadwaj has also been instrumental in expanding the Eberly College of Business’s international partnerships and its global outreach, creating unique and important opportunities for students to study international business, and to work with students from countries all over the world,” she said.
During his tenure, Bharadwaj expanded international partnerships across Bangladesh, China, France, Germany, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Norway, and the West Bank. He helped advance the IUP-India Partnership with PES University, an MBA program in Bangalore with more than 1,500 graduates, and the Discover India study-abroad initiative, which has taken nearly 300 students to India.
Bharadwaj has served as dean’s associate from Jan. 2008 to June 2024, chairperson of the Department of Management from 1999 to 2008, director of offshore programs since 2004, and director of the School of International Management since 2020. Earlier, he was assistant director of IUP’s Small Business Institute and consultant for the Small Business Development Center from 1995 to 2014.
His research focuses on supply chain and operations management, quality management, quantitative methods, small business and entrepreneurship, strategic management, and organizational behavior. He has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles and nearly 100 proceedings articles and editorials and has served as editor or associate editor for scholarly journals.
As co-principal investigator, Bharadwaj has secured millions of dollars in grants and contracts in areas including self-employment assistance, entrepreneurship curriculum development, rural e-commerce, cybersecurity, and offshore programs.
His honors include IUP’s 2021 University Senate Distinguished Award for Teaching and the 2001 University Senate Distinguished Faculty Award for Research, making him the only IUP faculty member to receive both distinctions. He has also mentored student teams that won National and Regional SBI Director’s Association Case of the Year Awards.
He has a PhD and MBA in Operations Management from Rutgers, an MS in Industrial Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a B.Engg. in Industrial and Production Engineering from Bangalore University in India.
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