The announcement that Prabakar Kothandaraman will leave his position as dean of SUNY Oswego’s School of Business to become dean of the College of Business and Economics at Towson University in Maryland provides the opportunity to note all that Kothandaraman and the School of Business have accomplished since he joined the Oswego family.
“Since joining SUNY Oswego in 2019, Dean Kothandaraman has led the School of Business with vision and dedication,” President Peter O. Nwosu wrote in announcing Kothandaraman’s departure.
“Under his leadership, the school has strengthened its AACSB accreditation; aligned the school more closely with industry practices by integrating cutting-edge content into the classroom; laid the groundwork for the forthcoming Center for Business Excellence and Transformation (CBET); and consistently fostered innovation to connect faculty expertise and student learning with community needs—promoting engagement and societal impact,” President Nwosu added.
Taking his new post in July, Kothandaraman said he will miss the people at SUNY Oswego, and was grateful to President Nwosu and Provost Scott Furlong for their leadership.
“I enjoyed unwavering support and mentorship from Provost Furlong, throughout my tenure, and more recently, President Nwosu’s clear vision for CBET as SUNY Oswego’s gateway for the region’s businesses has meant a lot for the tremendous progress we have made on making CBET a reality,” he said.
“SUNY Oswego was my first posting as a dean and Provost Furlong really guided me through the initial years of COVID and empowered me through his thoughtful mentorship,” Kothandaraman said. “Associate Provost Rameen Mohammadi often served me as a sounding board as the business school sought to pursue various initiatives and curricular innovations.”
Kothandaraman led the university’s successful effort to win a National Science Foundation grant teaming the School of Business with Oswego’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a rare accomplishment for business schools at comprehensive universities. The “Cross-Continental Collaboration Coalition (C4)” project connects Oswego with similar institutions in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, while establishing the new CBET.
SUNY Oswego’s MBA program, housed in the school of business, consistently earns acclaim among rankings services as the highest-ranking public university program of its kind in New York State. The agile delivery and customized, student-focused nature of the MBA supported three-digit growth of the program in the past two years, he noted.
Kothandaraman’s tenure included the launch of the innovative Rich ’N’ Pour Cafe, a student-run enterprise in Rich Hall that serves the campus community while providing valuable management and fostering student excellence.
“During his time as dean of the School of Business, Prabakar championed significant efforts to continue to move the school forward,” Furlong said.
“Prabakar has a strong student success perspective, and a number of his initiatives have been geared toward providing additional experiential learning opportunities,” he added. “This includes expanded efforts in our Launch It competition and initiating a Sales Triathlon competition. Important to Academic Affairs and the university, Prabakar was a true collaborator with people and offices throughout the university and a key member of the Academic Affairs leadership team who always brought his strategic thinking, creativity and good nature to the table.”
Academic expansion
From an academic offerings standpoint, Kothandaraman celebrated “launching the incredibly successful sales minor, a first for SUNY, and establishing a blueprint for the sales lab with donor support” and bolstering depth areas for the business administration major, a fully online major in business administration, and planning for innovative minors including real estate and digital marketing, which include embedded industry credentials.
Asked to reflect on other top accomplishments, Kothandaraman’s reflection also included:
Gaining stakeholder support to launch the School of Business’ first strategic plan while securing resources for its implementation.
Creating a more industry-connected school by establishing Program Advisory Groups for all programs, providing an agile curriculum founded on Oswego hallmarks of academic rigor, learning by doing and industry immersion.
Early adoption of Prior Learning Assessment credit to encourage increased degree credits for industry certification in support of Vision 4040.
Innovating in DEI by establishing the Dean's Executive Fellows Program, which brought executives from underrepresented communities to co-teach classes and mentor our students, especially students of color.
Establishing a Dean's Leadership Fellows Program to create a strong leadership pipeline for the School of Business.
Affirming the school’s rigorous AACSB accreditation.
Kothandaraman offered appreciation for Raihan Khan, who was the school associate dean until recently, and Kristin Sotak, current associate dean, as “very special people on whom I have come to rely for many of the tasks that are crucial to the continuous improvement of the school.”
While looking back and offering thanks, Kothandaraman noted that Oswego’s School of Business was well-positioned to continue moving forward.
“School of Business faculty and staff are incredible and I am grateful for having received an opportunity to have worked with them closely,” Kothandaraman said. “The school is in great shape to continue to serve the students and deliver on SUNY Oswego's new strategic plan.”
“He will be missed as a leader here at SUNY Oswego, but more importantly missed as a colleague and friend,” Furlong said.
Plans on interim leadership for the School of Business and the search for the next dean will be shared with the campus community in the coming weeks, President Nwosu noted.