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</p><div id="attachment_51261" style="width: 335px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img class="wp-image-51261" src="; alt="Meera Komarraju" width="325" height="455" srcset=" 214w, 457w" sizes="(max-width: 325px) 100vw, 325px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Meera Komarraju</p></div>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Meera Komarraju, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, has been appointed provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Northridge.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Komarraju comes to 快活林性息 with more than three decades of experience in higher education. In addition to her work as provost and vice chancellor at Southern Illinois, she has been a dean, associate dean, department chair and an undergraduate program director. She assumes her new job the first week of January 2023. She is succeeding 快活林性息鈥檚 current provost, Mary Beth Walker, who is retiring at the end of 2022.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淒r. Komarraju is a highly experienced and exceptionally skilled academic leader and I am confident her leadership will facilitate a brighter and more equitable future for our entire campus community,鈥� said 快活林性息 President Erika D. Beck when she announced Komarraju鈥檚 appointment.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Komarraju, said she was drawn to 快活林性息 because it was a public university with a mission of 鈥渕aking higher education accessible to all citizens.鈥� She was also attracted to the university鈥檚 diversity and that it was part of the California State University system, 鈥渨hich is very progressive and forward looking.鈥�</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">What really caught her attention, she said, was 快活林性息鈥檚 commitment to social justice and inclusion.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淭hat really stood out to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ll universities focus on it, but some are more upfront and active than others. I really love that about 快活林性息. I like how it matches and resonates with my own personal values. As a first-generation college student, a first-generation immigrant and somebody who comes from a minority background, I felt a fit with the university.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淚 am very passionate about higher education because it made a huge difference in my life,鈥� Komarraju continued. 鈥淚 truly believe that a college education does not just benefit the student, it also benefits the communities the students come from. I see 快活林性息 doing that. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to serve 快活林性息鈥檚 students.鈥�</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Komarraju has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology, philosophy and English literature from Nizam College in India; a master鈥檚 degree in psychology and a master of philosophy degree in industrial-organizational psychology from Osmania University in India. She holds a doctorate in industrial/organizational psychology from Osmania University in India and a doctorate in applied social psychology from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. She taught at the undergraduate and graduate level in the Departments of Psychology and Management at Southern Illinois University. She also has taught in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore for Southern Illinois University鈥檚 Department of Management鈥檚 off-campus executive MBA program.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">As an applied psychologist, Komarraju鈥檚 research interests focus on student motivation and performance, diversity and leadership, as well as work attitudes and work-family linkages in dual-career couples.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Komarraju said education was always a priority in her house growing up in India.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淚 remember so clearly my father telling me and my siblings that we don鈥檛 have money or the connections with well-placed individuals who could help us,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e said, 鈥榯he only way for you to be successful in your life is to study.鈥� I took that to heart.鈥�</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Komarraju said she plans to spend her first 100 days as 快活林性息鈥檚 provost learning about the campus and its culture.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">She noted that after spending four years as provost at Southern Illinois, she is aware that there are requests that she will have to respond to immediately once she begins her job at 快活林性息鈥檚 provost.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淏ut I want to make sure to take the time to learn 快活林性息鈥檚 culture and get to know its people,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am going to listen and learn, and try to meet everybody on campus. I am looking forward to getting a fuller sense of what 快活林性息 is all about. I bring with me my own sort of energy, enthusiasm and passion, and I want to lend that to helping 快活林性息, its students, faculty and staff be successful in every way possible.鈥�</p>
Meera Komarraju, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, has been appointed provost and vice...