LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dr. Neeli Bendapudi on Thursday was named the 19th president of Pennsylvania State University, leaving the University of Louisville after three-and-a-half years in the same job.

What You Need To Know

  • Dr. Neeli Bendapudi is leaving UofL for Penn State
  • She takes over Penn State's top job on or before July 1, 2022

  • Bendapudi came to UofL in 2018

  • She will "work closely with the board of trustees to ensure a smooth transition" at UofL

“I write with mixed emotions to share with you that I have accepted the position of President of Penn State University,” Bendapudi wrote in a statement. “The decision to embark on a new chapter in my professional journey was not an easy one. I will miss our students, our faculty, our staff, our retirees, our alumni and our supporters, and I will miss my senior leadership team. All of you are among the best in the nation and are the heart and soul of our institution.”

Penn State’s board of trustees voted unanimously Thursday to approve Bendapudi’s hiring, to begin on or before July 1, 2022. When she starts the job, she will be the first woman and the first person of color to serve as the school's president. Bendapudi's compensation package will total $1.3 million per year at Penn State, which has an operating budget of nearly $8 billion. 

Prior to approving her hiring, trustees praised Bendapudi for the work she's done at UofL. “In Dr. Bendapudi, we have a sound values driven leader who will help realize the very best of this institution and will successfully lead Penn State into the future," said David Kleppinger, vice chair of the board of trustees. He added that Bendapudi emerged from an initial field of 80 potential hires. 

In her statement, Bendapudi wrote that she will remain involved at UofL in the coming weeks. "I will work closely with the board of trustees to ensure a smooth transition," she wrote. According to UofL spokesperson John Karman, she will remain in her role until the end of December. The board of trustees will meet December 16 to "determine next steps, including appointing an interim president," a statement said.

Bendapudi was named the 18th president of UofL in April of 2018. She was hired away from the University of Kansas, where she served as provost, executive vice chancellor, and dean of the business school. 

News of his impending departure from UofL comes amid major upheaval at the athletic department. On Wednesday, the board of trustees approved changes to Director of Athletics Vince Tyra's contract amid rumors of his own departure from the university.

Leaving UofL 'stronger than ever'

Bendapudi's tenure at UofL began after a tumultuous few years that saw high profile scandals in both the administration and athletic department. At the time she called UofL “a diamond with some mud smeared on it.”

In a statement, Senator Mitch McConnell, who is closely connected to the university, praised Bendapudi's "many accomplishments during her tenure at UofL" in the face of "struggles in both its academic and athletic departments."

Mary Nixon, chair of the UofL board of trustees, said Bendapudi is leaving UofL "stronger than ever and poised for extraordinary successes in the years to come." She added: "Neeli's enthusiastic and unwavering championship of the University has made a difference on campus, in the city, and in the Commonwealth."

Mayor Greg Fischer said Bendapudi will be remembered for "how she stood up very strong for racial justice, for anti-racist activities on behalf of the university and I admire her greatly for that." In 2020, she announced a goal of making UofL "the premier anti-racist metropolitan research university in the country."

Mary Baxter, a senior bio engineering major at UofL, said she was shocked to her the news about Bendapudi. But she praised the outgoing president for leaving her mark on the school. "Number one, she’s helped promote diversity a lot," Baxter said. "That has been pretty exciting for the university. She also helped build the Belknap Academic Building and new residence halls."

He also said that the next president of UofL should be someone who "believes in what we call town and gown relations, in other words, making sure the university and the city work well together."

Kentucky State Senate president Robert Stivers said in a statement, "We need a nationwide search to find the very best possible candidate to lead the university."

Asked what the new president should bring to UofL, Kiyah Yeast, an exercise science major, said, "I think they should be really involved within the community of Louisville and also make sure that everything involving the school is up to the standard."

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