Prabakar Kothandaraman, Ph.D., began his role as dean of 缅北禁地 University鈥檚 College of Business & Economics on July 2. He brings more than a decade of executive leadership in business education, most recently serving as dean of the School of Business at SUNY Oswego.

With a career marked by strategic growth, industry-aligned innovation and a deep commitment to student success, Prabakar has led nationally-ranked programs and developed impactful curricula that bridge academia and the real world. He holds advanced degrees in marketing, management and engineering and is a recognized thought leader in the field.

Learn more about Prabakar鈥檚 vision for CBE, his leadership approach and what excites him most about joining the TU community in the Q&A below.

How would you like to be addressed?

Everyone can use my first name, Prabakar. 

What are you looking forward to most as dean of CBE?

The College of Business & Economics abounds with dedicated faculty and staff who prioritize student success over everything else. I see my role as giving shape to their aspirations and helping to elevate student excellence and thought leadership to create lasting societal impact through community engagement. I look forward to understanding the college鈥檚 short- and long-term needs by engaging with faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners and by advocating for those needs through strategic planning, prioritization and resource mobilization. I intend to be an engaged partner with all units at 缅北禁地 University to achieve student success through innovative partnership and purposeful collaborations.

Why did you choose TU?

I was attracted to TU鈥檚 robustness as an institution of higher learning. To me, it signaled great intent to do the right thing and keep the fundamental very strong despite environmental uncertainties. I was impressed by the quality of the faculty and staff and their visionary leadership. When I visited in March 2025, I was deeply impressed by how everyone spoke with different voices that pointed to varying lived experiences; yet, in all those conversations, there was a single theme that shined through: TU cares for its students and their success. It resonated with my own unwavering belief that our single mission in higher education is to serve, inspire and empower our students. And of course, I liked the people I met and enjoyed the sense of humor in their interactions. I always believe that wit and laughter can get us through trying times, and hence I saw myself fitting well here.

How do you plan on supporting faculty, staff and students in CBE? 

We have great resources in place to help students from academic advising to career readiness to job placement. Our staff are exceptional in providing opportunities for student engagement outside the classroom. I will do my best to elevate student engagement with these opportunities and will be discussing with faculty, staff and student leaders to draw up a plan that makes our students the best prepared for life after college. Our faculty are thought leaders and would welcome support in enhancing their research capacity and making an impact in the community. I will work closely with the faculty to support efforts to get increased access to the industry and help in their efforts to get additional resources for research, program development and deploying innovations in the classroom.

In academia each discipline is unique, and I look forward to learning more from the faculty as to how I can support them in the context of their discipline. The staff at CBE provide a strong ecosystem in the college that amplifies the work of the faculty and contribute greatly to student success. I will support them by helping them develop professionally and embracing tools and techniques that continuously help improve the great work they do.

What are your initial goals as dean? 

My initial key priorities include finalizing the strategic plan with updated mission and vision statements, prioritizing around student engagement and success and creatively addressing gaps in our college鈥檚 physical infrastructure, organizational structures and operational processes to better support our mission.

What鈥檚 something you want people to know about you? 

I love to be creative and innovate in my role. 鈥淲hy not?鈥� is a question that helps me learn constantly. I like to think big. I like to earn the trust of people I work with and like others to earn my trust as well, so that we are all empowered to innovate and excel without having to resort to micromanaging tasks. Operationally, I like to distinguish between uncontrollable and controllable strategic variables and put efforts behind the controllable strategic variables without lamenting about things that are not in our control.

What do you do in your spare time?

I play the violin and go to concerts and shows. You may also see me walking a lot around the campus as it helps me with conducting my own thought experiments!