Dr. Hitesh Rai Kathuria Named CSCU Provost
He has served in the Office of UAA since 2016, and has 16 years of higher education experience, serving the last 14 years as a faculty member and administrator at Indiana University.
Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) President Terrence Cheng today announced the hiring of Dr. Hitesh Rai Kathuria as provost & senior vice president of academic and student affairs for the CSCU system. Dr. Kathuria will officially begin his tenure on June 3, 2022.
“Dr. Kathuria will join the CSCU system with experience in system-wide efforts with faculty, staff and administrators, and a proven track record of success as an academic leader, scholar, and administrator,” said President Cheng. “He brings strategic, collaborative and innovative leadership during this critical time in the CSCU system, as we serve the educational needs of our students coming out of the pandemic.”
Currently, Dr. Kathuria is assistant vice president in the Office of the Executive Vice President for University Academic Affairs (UAA) at Indiana University (IU). He is also the director of the Office of Collaborative Academic Programs (OCAP), IU Online, and a tenured associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Indiana University East, one of the seven campuses in the IU system.
He has served in the Office of UAA since 2016, and has 16 years of higher education experience, serving the last 14 years as a faculty member and administrator at Indiana University.
“I am excited about collaborating with President Cheng and his executive leadership team as CSCU continues to advance its legacy of success and focus on its mission,” said Dr. Kathuria. “As the provost & senior vice president of academic and student affairs in collaboration with faculty and staff, I will be able to use my experience to add and enhance existing practices at CSCU to provide engaging and meaningful learning opportunities, not only for undergraduate and graduate students, but for lifelong learners through the application of innovative teaching methods and supporting technologies.”
In his current role as assistant vice president in UAA and director of OCAP, Dr. Kathuria creates, implements and administers online and hybrid degrees over seven Indiana University campuses, and has created 56 undergraduate and graduate programs targeting adult and continuing learners. As the director of OCAP, he leads the system-wide collaborative effort to build and implement collaborative degrees.
He holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Delhi in New Delhi, an M.S. in biochemistry from Hamdard University in New Delhi, and a B.S. degree (honors) in biochemistry from the University of Delhi. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN; and at the Cancer Research Institute, Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis, IN. Dr. Kathuria also completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University. He holds master reviewer certification from Quality Matters™and is a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission.
In addition to his experience, Dr. Kathuria is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association of College and Universities, the Council for Undergraduate Research and Beta Beta Beta.
Dr. Kathuria’s salary as provost/senior vice president of academic and student affairs will be $286,000 per year. He will also be entitled to the standard benefits package received by state employees.
This position is currently held by Dr. Kenneth Klucznik, who became CSCU’s interim provost/senior vice president of academic and student affairs when Dr. Jane McBride Gates retired on January 1, 2022. Dr. Klucznik will be returning to his position of vice president for academic affairs.