President-elect Neeli Bendapudi visited Penn State Berks on April 18, 2022.
Editor's note: This spring, Penn State President-elect Neeli Bendapudi is traveling the commonwealth as part of a listening and learning tour to meet and engage in conversation with students, faculty, staff and community members at each Penn State campus.
WYOMISSING, Pa. — Penn State President-elect Neeli Bendapudi visited Penn State Berks on April 18 as part of her listening tour to meet with students, faculty, staff and community leaders across Penn State’s campuses.
When discussing why she chose Penn State, she stated that the land-grant mission of the University resonates with her. “It’s critical that we make sure that everybody in the commonwealth feels invested in Penn State. We are the land-grant institution; we are the people’s university.”
Specifically, Bendapudi cited Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses. “There is not another institution like Penn State University in the country. Ninety-six percent of the citizens of Pennsylvania live within 30 miles of a Penn State campus.”
She also stated that she is excited about the opportunity to build on the University’s relationship with Penn State Health and the Penn State College of Medicine.
Penn State President-elect Neeli Bendapudi visited with student leaders.
During the visit, Bendapudi met with faculty and staff during a town hall-style program in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. She also met with community leaders and donors, and she concluded her visit by meeting with a group of 50 students during a luncheon program in the Perkins Student Center Multipurpose Room.
Bendapudi will begin her tenure as Penn State’s 19th president on May 9. She previously served as president of the University of Louisville and as provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of Kansas. In addition to her nearly 30-year career in academia, she was the executive vice president and chief customer officer for Huntington National Bank. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and an MBA from Andhra University in India and holds a doctorate in marketing from the University of Kansas.
