Assudani returns as Associate Provost for Academic Affairs

Dr. Rashmi Assudani, a well-known faculty member in Xavier’s Williams College of Business since 2005, returned this semester as the newly appointed Associate Provost for Academic Affairs following a year-long fellowship with the American Council on Education (ACE). 

Assudani shared, “The new role offers me the ability to work with several units across campus in fulfilling Xavier’s core mission of serving students and also our faculty and staff. In this role, I have the responsibility to oversee Faculty Development, Center for Teaching Excellence, Instructional Design & Technology, Digitial Media Services, Grants office, Institutional Review Board, Center for Innovation, Eigel Center, Community Building Institute and University Assessment.”

Assudani spent the last year at the University of Louisville as part of the ACE Fellowship program which offers select individuals a unique view into the strategies and workings of another institution. Assudani was able to attend the University of Louisville’s Board of Trustee meetings, university Cabinet meetings, and various university senior staff meetings. She assisted on Louisville’s Strategic Plan Implementation Committee, Budget Planning and Monitoring Committee, and Covid-19 Task Force. 

“I’ve learned much more than my initial ACE learning contract described,” said Assudani.  “In my case, I wanted to get a birds-eye view of the functioning of a public institution.  While this was a perfect opportunity, I’ve learned so much more than that.”

Assudani was able to spend time with University of Louisville President, Dr. Neeli Bendapudi. Since May 2018, Dr. Bendapudi has served as the 18th president in Louisville history, and, as Assudani notes, is Louisville’s first female president, first president of color, and first international immigrant to serve in the role.

President Bendapudi shared, “Rashmi, the greatest compliment to you is that we feel you are a part of the team and have always been so. Thank you for your counsel, friendship, and care for all of us at U of L. Xavier is lucky to have you.”

For six years at Xavier, Assudani served as Department Chair for Management & Entrepreneurship. She has served on the University Planning and Resource Committee, Bias Education & Advisory Team, AACSB Committee, and Core curriculum assessment committee. She has fundraised including $2.4 million of endowed funds for supporting programs, faculty and staff in Entrepreneurial Studies, and additional funds for her department and for Xavier’s TEDx event. In 2015, she spent the year as the Faculty In Residence for Xavier’s Center for Teaching Excellence.

Xavier Provost, Dr. Melissa Baumann shared, “Rashmi has always been a valued member of our Xavier community. Her commitment to our Jesuit mission and our students has always stood out. In her new role as Associate Provost, following her year as an ACE Fellow, Rashmi will have an opportunity to make a significant impact on many aspects of our academic experience. I am so very happy to have Rashmi back at Xavier and especially to welcome her to the Provost’s office where I look forward to working with her.”

Assudani noted, “The people of Xavier University make this institution special. I was fortunate to have spent a year learning more about university leadership, and am now blessed to be back at Xavier to continue my work in a unique capacity as Associate Provost.”

Assudani holds a B.S. (Honors in Physics) and an M.B.A. from India, an Executive degree in Strategic Management from The Netherlands, Ph.D. in Strategy & Organizations from McGill University (Canada), and an Executive Education certificate in Art & Practice of Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit Catholic University in Cincinnati, Ohio, annually ranked among the nation’s best universities. Our four colleges offer 90+ undergraduate majors, 60+ minors and 40+ graduate programs to approximately 6,500 total students, including 4,500 undergraduates. Find out more at https://www.xavier.edu.