Our Bureau
Richmond, VA
Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU is pleased to announce the conclusion of VCU’s national search and appointment of Manu Gupta, Ph.D. as vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at Virginia Commonwealth University, effective immediately. Dr. Gupta currently serves as the unit’s interim dean, a position he has held for nearly two years. The Board of Visitors approved the appointment at their September meeting.
Dr. Gupta began his academic career as a finance professor at the University of Missouri Columbia in 2004. The next year he held the same role at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville before joining the VCU School of Business in 2008.
He earned tenure in the VCU School of Business, was promoted to professor, and became the chair for the Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate department while serving as a faculty advisor for the MS finance program. Over the next decade, Dr. Gupta led major curriculum revisions responsive to market demands.
As the interim dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Gupta led the development of a strategic plan for graduate enrollment across the university and has worked with academic units across our campuses to improve their processes for graduate program admissions. His leadership was instrumental in creating a tailored tuition plan to attract more out-of-state and international students.
Dr. Gupta’s leadership, and ability to collaborate with leaders across our academic units, are delivering results for the university. Over the last year, VCU has seen increases in both applications and accepted offers and are reflected across all demographic segments.
Dr. Gupta earned a bachelor’s degree from S.V. National Institute of Tech (NIT) in Surat, India; a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in New Delhi; and a Ph.D. from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University.
