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Rao Unnava to step down as UC Davis management school dean
A national search for a successor will begin in September, the university confirmed.
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Bhavana P - Thu, 31, Jul 2025
- 14:10 EDT
- 18
H. Rao Unnava / University of California, Davis
Indian American academician, H. Rao Unnava, the Michael and Joelle Hurlston dean of the Graduate School of Management (GSM) at the University of California, Davis, has announced that he will step down on June 30, 2026.
Unnava, who has led GSM since 2016, will return to the faculty following a sabbatical and resume teaching advertising and marketing in 2027.
Also read: Bharat Anand to leave Harvard, named dean of NYU Stern
During his tenure, UC Davis saw record enrollment in its graduate management programs, launched the UC system’s first online MBA and part-time Master of Management, and deepened alumni engagement and philanthropic support.
“It is thanks to dean Unnava’s creativity, enthusiasm, and visionary leadership that UC Davis continues to be recognized as one of the most innovative business schools in the country. His focus on increasing access to academic programs and elevating the student experience has boosted enrollment, and his collaborative spirit has been such a benefit to UC Davis,” said Mary Croughan, provost and executive vice chancellor.
Unnava championed initiatives that enhanced student access, including tuition deferrals for online MBA candidates, lifelong learning platforms, and free MBA content access for alumni. He also helped launch the Bachelor of Science in Business, a joint undergraduate major debuting in fall 2025, which drew over 8,800 applicants for 175 seats.
“It has been an honor to work alongside the top-notch faculty and staff at the Graduate School of Management and serve a very special group of students who have consistently shown how much they care about making the world a better place,” Unnava said.
In 2024, Unnava was named Dean of the Year by Poets&Quants for expanding experiential learning and aligning business education with UC Davis strengths in agriculture, biotechnology, and sustainability.
A former professor at the Ohio State University, Unnava holds degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, and a Ph.D. from Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business.
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