Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Nathan Urban said: “Manoj is the ideal person to lead Lehigh’s College of Business in its efforts to become a national leader in business education and research with a focus on the intersection of business and technology. Manoj is an outstanding scholar whose highly quantitative research focuses on areas such as the effective deployment of resources in manufacturing and service firms, supply chain strategy and the interface between operations management and other functional areas of business. He is also an experienced academic leader who has led the development of innovative and market-relevant academic programs and partnerships. I am very excited to have Manoj join Lehigh as the next dean of Lehigh Business.”
Malhotra brings a breadth of experience from holding significant academic and administrative roles at Case Western Reserve University and the University of South Carolina. As the Dean and Albert J. Weatherhead III Professor at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, he oversaw a period of significant change and growth, setting new enrollment records and launching innovative programs such as a healthcare focused online MBA. His leadership led to notable improvements in research productivity and a significant increase in undergraduate enrollments during his tenure.
“I am honored to be selected as the next Dean of Lehigh College of Business,” said Malhotra.
“I was attracted to the Dean’s position at Lehigh Business because of its impressive growth trajectory in academic programs and faculty, its student focused curriculum, and several centers of excellence in diverse functional areas of business.
“The three directional strategies of Lehigh Business that revolve around life-long learning for students, high impact research by faculty, and community engagement that promotes societal good are well aligned with my own thinking and values,” he continued. “I am also impressed by the university’s leadership that is driven by an innovative and collaborative mindset. It is an exciting time and opportunity to work with outstanding faculty, staff, students, university leadership, and external business community at Lehigh University.”
During his tenure at the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina (USC), Columbia, Malhotra introduced many programmatic innovations and steered the management science department to national recognition. He established the influential Center for Global Supply and Process Management (GSCPM), garnering significant industry support from firms such as BMW, Coca Cola Bottling, Delta Air Lines, Ingersoll Rand, Johnson & Johnson, Michelin, Siemens, and Walmart. His strategic initiatives increased enrollments and propelled the school’s supply chain programs into Gartner’s top 10 rankings, marking a significant leap in academic and research prestige.
Beth Dolan, Dean of the College of Health and Chair of the search, said: “In our search process, Manoj emerged from the deep and highly qualified pool of candidates, as someone with strong experience, innovative ideas, and pragmatic solutions. I look forward to collaborating with him at the intersection of business and health, and anticipate that the College of Business will continue to thrive with him at the helm.”
Malhotra has extensive international experience as well as a strong record of working with corporate partners. Apart from USC and Case Western Reserve University, Malhotra also has taught at the Terry School of Business, University of Georgia; Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien in Austria; and the Graduate School of Management at Macquarie University, Australia. He is a co-author of a leading textbook in operations and supply chain management, and has published widely in leading journals of the field such as Decision Sciences, European Journal of Operational Research, Interfaces, Journal of Operations Management, Manufacturing Service and Operations Management, and Production and Operations Management on deployment of flexible resources in manufacturing and service firms, operations and supply chain strategy, healthcare operations, and the interface of operations with other functional areas of business.
“It was clear throughout this process that there is a tremendous enthusiasm by faculty in the College of Business, and indeed across campus, for a dean who can help maintain their positive trajectory,” said Cheryl Matherly, Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs and Vice-Chair of the search. “Manoj brings a depth and breadth of experience to support growth in the College of Business, and he will find a campus with people ready to collaborate.”
Malhotra has been recognized for his pedagogical and scholarly contributions through several teaching and discipline-wide research awards. He has been the program chair for two major international conferences, and served as the President of the global Production and Operations Management Society in 2017. He is a Fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) and the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS).
Malhotra said: “I look forward to building further on the impressive momentum that the college has created over the past decade, and leading Lehigh College of Business to continue its upward ascent of being recognized as a highly regarded comprehensive center of business education and research with international prestige and stature.”
