A national search will be launched this fall for a successor to the longest-tenured top administrator among Elon University’s six academic divisions.
An Elon University leader who has overseen a nearly 60% growth in the number of students choosing to study each year in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business will conclude his deanship following the 2024-2025 academic year.
Since joining the Elon administration in 2012, Dean Raghu Tadepalli has worked with faculty, staff, alumni, business leaders, and parents to develop a rigorous curriculum and professional resources for students in a business school consistently ranked among the nation’s best.
Elon University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Rebecca Kohn said a national search will be launched this fall for Tadepalli’s successor.
“Raghu’s commitment to undergraduate and graduate student success has been key to the growth of the Love School of Business,” Kohn said. “His impressive work with colleagues, industry executives, and accomplished graduates demonstrates the importance of collaboration in preparing future generations of corporate and civic leaders.”
“It’s been an honor for me to serve as dean, and as I reflect on what drew me to Elon University – the high level of collegiality within the faculty and staff, the exceptional quality of our students – all these years later, what still excites me about coming to work are the very same things,” Tadepalli said. “What we’ve done together, with contributions from our advisory boards and our successful graduates, is keep a laser-like focus on student success.”
Tadepalli has worked collaboratively over the past decade to grow academic programs, facilities, resources, and career opportunities for students and graduates alike. Among the school’s highlights during his tenure:
- Achieving three AACSB International reaccreditations with no recommendations; the most recent was earned this spring
- Growth in enrollment from 1,356 majors in the 2012-2013 academic year to 2,145 majors as of the current academic year
- Expansion of full-time faculty from 44 to 71 professors and lecturers
- The introduction of six new undergraduate majors: Economic Consulting, Business Analytics, Human Resource Management, Project Management, Supply Chain Management, and Financial Technology
- The establishment of two new graduate programs: Master of Science in Accounting, and Master of Science in Business Analytics, both of which are also offered as accelerated 3+1 programs for Elon undergraduate students
- The addition of the interdisciplinary Center for Financial Literacy and the Center for Organizational Analytics
- Being ranked among the top 40 business schools in the country for three consecutive years (2022, 2023, and 2024) by Poets&Quants
One of the most significant developments during Tadepalli’s deanship was the 2018 opening of Richard W. Sankey Hall. The three-story, 30,000-square-foot building to the south of the Ernest A. Koury, Sr. Business Center allowed for the physical expansion of the business school to accommodate burgeoning enrollment and offerings.
Tadepalli, a recognized scholar in the field of marketing who has researched cross-cultural ethics and factors that affect salespersons’ customer orientation, said he is excited to see how the business school grows in the years ahead as the university identifies new programs and partnerships while looking to build its graduate education programs.
And as he prepares for his final year leading the business school, Tadepalli likens the fruits of his work to a ctenanthe that sits by his desk. The office plant was a gift from faculty when he started as dean. It’s since been repotted after doubling in size.
“Elon is like a rocket ship,” Tadepalli said. “It doesn’t matter what seat you get. The most important thing is to strap on your seatbelt and enjoy the ride.”
President Connie Ledoux Book noted that Tadepalli’s “steadfast leadership and dedication to excellence have been pivotal in elevating the Love School of Business, marking Elon a leader in national and international business education.”
Tadepalli will complete a yearlong sabbatical before returning to campus to serve as dean emeritus and special assistant to the president for the 2026-2027 academic year.