Interim Provost Viola Florez has announced the appointment of Uday Desai as the new director of the School of Public Administration. Desai comes to UNM from Southern Illinois University (SIU) with more than 17 years of academic administrative experience, including 10 years as chair of the Department of Political Science at SIU.
“Professor Desai brings a solid and diverse background to the School of Public Administration,” Florez said. “His well-rounded experience as director of the Master’s program in Public Administration at Southern Illinois University, including faculty leadership, budgeting experience and curriculum planning, will be a tremendous asset to this program and UNM.”
In addition to his decade as chair of the political science department at SIU (1995-2005), Desai served as the director of the MPA Program for seven years prior. He has been at SIU for nearly 30 years, dating back to 1978 when he served as an assistant professor. He was an associate for seven years before becoming a full professor in 1991.
During his tenure at SIU, Desai has worked collaboratively with colleagues from other departments and colleges across the university. He has conducted curriculum development and reform, prepared and supervised program assessment and accreditation reports, and has effectively managed tenure and promotion cases to both associate and full professor ranks.
Desai’s background also includes a B.S. in Engineering from India (1963), a M.S. in Engineering from City University of New York (1967) and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh (1973).
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu