Anuj Mehrotra has been the dean of the George Washington School of Business since 2018. He will take over as dean of the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business on January 1, 2024. GWU photo
After a six-month national search, Georgia Institute of Technology’s business school has found their new dean. The Scheller College of Business announced June 6 that Anuj Mehrotra has been selected as the school’s Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. chair and dean. Mehrotra, who received his doctorate in operations research from Georgia Tech in 1992, will begin his first term January 1, 2024.
Mehrotra has been the dean of the George Washington University School of Business in Washington, D.C. since 2018. He is credited with the launch of creative programming and achieving strong partnerships, and he notably appointed the school’s first chief diversity officer. During his nearly five years at the school, it earned recognition across MBA rankings, including a significant one-year jump to reach the Poets&Quants top 50 in 2023.
“I am particularly excited about the opportunity to serve the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business community and continue a sustained effort in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as a key strategic area,” Mehrotra says in a statement provided through Georgia Tech. “As an alum, I am looking forward to this homecoming and working with Scheller’s world-class faculty and its diverse stakeholders at a top public research university to further promote inclusive innovation and excellence in research and business education that best prepare our students for the shifting market demands.”
END OF AN ERA AS SCHELLER DEAN ALAVI STEPS DOWN
Maryam Alavi: “John Quincy Adams said, ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.'”
Georgia Tech Scheller moved into 26th place in the 2023 Poets&Quants ranking, up one spot from the previous year. The Scheller College was also No. 26 in the latest U.S. News ranking.
Scheller made news last year by finding work for every one of its graduating MBA students — a 100% employment rate, highest among all top-30 B-schools. It was a fitting end (though not quite the end) for Dean Maryam Alavi, who officially steps down from her tenure leading Scheller on June 30.
Among Alavi’s other accomplishments since joining Scheller in 2014: The College launched and expanded innovative and interdisciplinary curricular and co-curricular programs and degree offerings and began key initiatives focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion; increased philanthropic support for student scholarships and fellowships, including for women and underrepresented minorities; and Alavi obtained the named gift for the College’s newest building, Scheller Tower, in Technology Square.
In a 2021 interview with P&Q, Alavi offered her favorite definition of leadership, from John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the United States:
“He said, ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ I believe that my career in higher ed and my role as an educator have provided me with opportunities to inspire my students to dream, do, learn, and become more. These opportunities and activities have shaped my leadership capabilities and my priorities as dean.”
MEHROTRA HIRED GWSB’S FIRST DIVERSITY OFFICER
Mehrotra, who has served as dean and a professor of decision sciences at GWU’s business school for nearly five years, leaves a B-school ranked 50th by Poets&Quants, up nine places from the previous year, and 55th by U.S. News. He is credited with launching George Washington’s Dean’s Corporate Council and George Talks Business speaker series, and this spring led the launch of an inaugural business and policy forum that gathered leaders from industry, government, and academia to address issues related to emerging technology and cybersecurity.
According to a George Washington University news release, under Mehrotra’s leadership, the B-school “reimagined business education” by introducing the 4+1 combined degree plan that allows students to graduate in five years with a bachelor’s degree and an accelerated business master’s degree, as well as instituting certificate programs that can lead to “customizable” master’s degrees. Mehrotra also hired GWSB’s first chief diversity officer.
“I am immensely proud of all the work we have done together in the last five years to advance GWSB,” Mehrotra said in the GWU new release. “The energy, creativity, ingenuity and passion of our colleagues within the school and across GW, and the larger community partners, with extraordinary support of our board, alumni and university leadership, have strengthened the school to continue on its positive trajectory.”
Before joining George Washington in 2018, Mehrotra spent 25 years as a professor at the University of Miami, as well six years as vice dean of graduate business programs and more than four years as Chair of the Department of Management Science.
DON’T MISS SEARCHING FOR THE IDEAL BUSINESS SCHOOL DEAN and NO B-SCHOOL CAN TOP WHAT GEORGIA TECH MBAs DID IN 2022
Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.