Michigan Technological University has appointed seasoned academic administrator Srinath Beldona as the new dean of its College of Business to expand interdisciplinary learning and deepen connections across technology and corporate sectors.
Beldona stepped into his new position earlier this month, arriving from East Texas A&M University’s Dallas campus, where he served as chief academic officer and special assistant to the president.
His career spans decades of leadership in administrative academia and corporate strategy, positioning him to guide Michigan Tech’s business programs into an increasingly tech-driven future.
As dean, Beldona intends to position the business school as an essential nexus connecting research, technical design, and market viability. A cornerstone of his strategic plan involves cultivating close ties with engineering, health, computing, and natural resources faculties across campus.
Read: Mews names tech veteran Kirupa Pushparaj as chief legal officer (July 27, 2026)
This interdisciplinary integration will be catalyzed by the university’s forthcoming Center for Convergence and Innovation, a facility designed to house both the College of Business and the College of Computing under one roof.
“I see tremendous opportunities to build on the College’s strengths while creating even stronger connections across the University,” Beldona stated. He emphasized that the business school will lend strategic expertise in market analysis, venture creation, finance, and corporate strategy, assisting campus researchers in turning laboratory discoveries into commercial products.
Prior to joining Michigan Tech, Beldona held prominent administrative posts across higher education, including dean of the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University and associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Dallas’ Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business.
Before moving into university leadership full-time, he spent more than 12 years in corporate consulting, focusing on statistical research, product development, and consumer behavior analysis for major industry clients.
Read: Yogesh Vohra named interim dean of Alabama college (July 28, 2026)
Rooted in India’s rich educational tradition, Beldona’s academic journey reflects the path of many accomplished Indian American leaders in global academia. He earned his initial undergraduate foundation in mechanical engineering from Gulbarga University in Karnataka, India, before obtaining a Master of Business Administration in marketing from Savitribai Phule Pune University in Maharashtra.
Moving to the United States to pursue advanced scholarly training, he completed a Master of Science in international business and a PhD in management at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Supported by his extended family and strong ties to his homeland, Beldona’s trajectory underscores the global reach of Indian scholars in shaping modern American administrative leadership.
At Michigan Tech, his unique combination of technical engineering roots, Indian business education, and American corporate experience offers a holistic perspective to train the next generation of business innovators.