Harsha Gangadharbatla has been appointed as interim dean of the University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media, effective Aug. 1. He succeeds Raul Reis, who stepped down after four years as dean to return to research and teaching.
Gangadharbatla, who currently serves as senior associate dean for academic and faculty affairs and holds the Hugh Morton Distinguished Professorship, takes on the interim role as the university prepares to launch a national search for a permanent successor, UNC at Chapel Hill announced.
Bringing over a decade of administrative experience in higher education, Gangadharbatla previously played a key role at the University of Colorado Boulder. There, he served on the provost’s committee that envisioned and created the College of Media, Communication and Information, CU Boulder’s first new college in 53 years.
He went on to serve as its associate dean of faculty development and as the founding chairperson of the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design.
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Gangadharbatla’s academic trajectory began in India, where he completed his undergraduate studies in electrical engineering at the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology. He later moved to the United States for advanced graduate work, earning a master’s degree in advertising from Michigan State University and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.
His scholarly work spans the role of technology in advertising, the influence of advertising on society, and environmental communication. His career includes leadership roles as past president of the American Academy of Advertising, a national organization representing over 500 advertising academics and past head of the advertising division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Over his academic career, Gangadharbatla has earned several professional accolades, including the Charles H. Sandage Award for Teaching Excellence and the William Payden Award for Faculty Excellence.
University officials noted that his multidisciplinary background bridging engineering and strategic communication will guide the Hussman School during this leadership transition.