Neeli Bendapudi officially starts tenure as Penn State’s 19th president, releases message to community
Neeli Bendapudi officially began her tenure as Penn State’s 19th president on Monday, releasing a brief video message to the university community on her first day.
“I am excited to be here and work alongside each of you to continue to advance excellence for all Penn Staters,” she said in the 65-second clip.
And later: “You — as our students, faculty, staff and adopted alumni — make this university the special university that it is. I truly can’t wait to work together.”
The brief message contained some of her first public statements as Penn State president, although she issued public comments a number of times as president-elect. When the board of trustees unanimously voted on Dec. 9 , 2021, to make her the next president, Bendapudi said then that she “cannot wait” to better familiarize herself with the university’s challenges and opportunities.
Since that time, she’s taken part in numerous meetings and a monthslong onboarding process to better transition to her new role. She also set about on a “listening tour” to speak with faculty, staff, students and others at each of the commonwealth campuses.
“It’s the ‘We Are’ spirit,” Bendapudi told the New Kensington campus on April 26. “... Penn State is not ‘I am.’”
Former President Eric Barron, who retired Sunday, will stay on in an advisory role for the next year. Bendapudi will earn $1.3 million annually over the next five years, which includes a $950,000 base salary and $350,000 in supplemental retirement contributions.
Her most recent role came serving three and a half years as president of the University of Louisville, where she was widely lauded for bringing stability to an institution facing financial issues, accreditation concerns and a morale crisis.
“I think we all know this institution is in far better shape now than it was when she got here,” Louisville trustee chair Mary Nixon told reporters in December.
Bendapudi was born and raised on the coast of South India. She received her undergraduate and master’s degrees there, at Andrha University, before coming to Kansas University to finish her doctorate. She earned it in 1994.
Since then, she worked as an assistant marketing professor and then marketing professor at Texas A&M, Ohio State and Kansas. She also served as the provost/executive vice chancellor at Kansas after having served as dean for Kansas’ School of Business.
She is the first woman and first non-white person in Penn State history to serve from the top post.
In a written statement issued Monday, separate from the video message, Bendapudi expressed gratitude for her new role and reiterated her commitment to supporting the Penn State community.
“I know firsthand the power and purpose higher education can have for individuals, families and communities across the generations,” she wrote. “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.
“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.”
