UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In a historic appointment, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi begins her tenure May 9, as the 19th leader of Pennsylvania’s 167-year-old land-grant university.
For Bendapudi, who grew up in a coastal city in India, leading Penn State is an opportunity of a lifetime given the transformative role higher education has played in her own family. Her father — who left India to attend university in the United States and make life better for his young family — paved a pathway for his daughter to follow.
“I know firsthand the power and purpose higher education can have for individuals, families and communities across the generations. Serving as Penn State’s president is the greatest professional honor of my life, and I will dedicate myself to advancing excellence for all Penn Staters,” Bendapudi said. “As president, I’m committed to creating opportunities to enable student success in and outside the classroom, supporting faculty and staff in their professional and academic endeavors, and encouraging continued partnership and investment in Penn State by our community, friends and the commonwealth.”
In December 2021, Bendapudi was unanimously named the University’s next president by the Penn State Board of Trustees. After a robust onboarding period and campus listening tour across the commonwealth this spring, Bendapudi has succeeded President Eric J. Barron, who retired after 30 years of collective service to the University as president, dean and professor.
“I extend my deepest gratitude to President Barron for his outstanding leadership,” Bendapudi said. “Penn State has experienced incredible growth and advancements over his tenure, and today we are in an excellent position to continue to thrive while meeting challenges ahead. As with any successor, it’s my responsibility and mission to build on progress and help Penn State reach even greater heights across each of our campuses.”
As she begins her presidency, the University is among the top academic and research institutions nationally and is celebrating a record-breaking philanthropic campaign, among other significant accomplishments.
“President Bendapudi is uniquely prepared to help the University continue to excel in many areas, including academics, student experience, and scientific research and innovation,” said Penn State Board of Trustees Chair Matt Schuyler. “She has a deep appreciation for our tradition of excellence coupled with an innovative spirit focused on strengthening our communities throughout the state and beyond.”
From humble roots to higher education leader
Even as a child, Bendapudi felt a calling to teach. Originally from a seaside city in India’s agricultural “rice bowl” region, Bendapudi has since built a 30-year-career in higher education and business bolstered by her signature purpose-driven and people-first leadership style.
With a love for education, Bendapudi was first inspired as a young girl to pursue her dreams of becoming a teacher by witnessing her father’s journey as a professor. With a lifechanging gift from his family that enabled him to attend university, he left his home country for the United States to earn his doctoral degree at the University of Kansas (KU).
Even while her father was across the world from his young family for nearly four years, Bendapudi knew their collective sacrifice had purpose.
“Even as a child, I knew my dad was away to make life better for all of us. Not only was my father a professor, but my mother, after all three of her daughters were well into school, earned her doctorate, so I’ve seen the benefit, and have always known I wanted to be in education,” Bendapudi said. “For my family, like so many others, education is so much more than a degree — it’s a pathway for a better life. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to help every Penn State student succeed academically, begin a meaningful career, and benefit their family and community. As Pennsylvania’s only land-grant university, this is our mission.”
After earning her own bachelor’s degree in English and MBA from Andhra University, in India, Bendapudi also traveled the U.S. to pursue her doctorate in marketing from KU, where her father had studied years earlier.
Following graduation, Bendapudi launched her career as an academic. With teaching roles at Texas A&M University, the Ohio State University (OSU), KU and University of Louisville, Bendapudi has honed a teaching philosophy grounded in creativity and collaboration, which over the years has earned her praise from students and national and university recognition, including the Academy of Marketing Science Outstanding Marketing Teacher Award and OSU’s highest teaching honor.
It wasn’t long before Bendapudi also made her mark in business. Her research — published in Harvard Business Review, the Journal of Academic Medicine and Journal of Marketing, among other publications — focuses on how companies and organizations can best serve their customers.
Even as she continued to teach, Bendapudi put her expertise in customer loyalty and consumer behavior into practice in the private sector. Along with consulting for some of the world’s largest companies and organizations — from Proctor & Gamble to the U.S. Army — she became the executive vice president and chief customer officer for Huntington National Bank, a top-30 U.S. bank with $55 billion in assets at the time.
Inspired by her lifelong commitment to higher education, Bendapudi focused her leadership pursuits on the positive impact she could make as an academic administrator. Over the years, her higher education leadership experiences have included serving as provost and executive vice chancellor at KU, dean of the School of Business at KU, and as founding director of the Initiative for Managing Services at OSU.
Prior to coming to Penn State, Bendapudi was president of the University of Louisville, where in four years she oversaw a series of transformative efforts spanning academics; finance; the health enterprise; philanthropy; athletics; diversity, equity and inclusion; and more. Under her leadership, the university recruited its largest and most diverse freshman class, reached record enrollment levels, improved four-year graduation rates, increased annual sponsored research, improved the university's financial stability and stabilized the health system.
Along with her professional endeavors, Bendapudi is a Leadership Foundation Fellow, a member of the International Women’s Forum, and has participated as a member of the Women Corporate Directors, and serves on the board of the American Council on Education and Internet 2.0.
Community engagement continues to shape vision
This spring, Bendapudi embarked on a tour of Penn State’s campuses across the state. During her tour, which included stops at Penn State Health and the College of Medicine, Bendapudi met with campus chancellors, hosted open forums with faculty and staff, attended student-led campus tours and meet-and-greets with students, and joined informal meetings with community members and friends of Penn State.
“My absolute favorite part of each stop was meeting students — seeing the campuses for the first time through their eyes and learning about their experiences was the best introduction I could have to Penn State,” Bendapudi said. “I’m equally inspired by the incredibly talented faculty and staff members I’ve met who are committed to educating and supporting students, fostering new knowledge and innovation, keeping the University operating seamlessly day after day and impacting the next generation.”
Bendapudi shares that her vision for the University will further form as she engages in conversations with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members in the coming weeks and months.
“Something I see uniquely at Penn State is a sense of pride, belonging and family,” Bendapudi said. “My goal is to continue to foster that sense of belonging for every student, employee and alumni, and help them find a way to make this special place their own.”