By Amanda Taylor

Dr. Yash P. Gupta, named the new dean of the UTRGV Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship, will assume his post on Aug. 1. He replaces Dr. Mark Kroll, who served as dean of the Vackar COBE for seven years and now returns to faculty to focus on teaching and research. Gupta comes to the Valley from Louisville, Kentucky, where he was president and CEO of Yash Gupta Consulting, Inc., providing consulting services to academic institutions and industries based on strategic planning and new market development. (Courtesy photo)

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has named Dr. Yash P. Gupta as the new dean of the Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

Gupta, who will take the helm Aug. 1, will replace Dr. Mark Kroll, who served as dean of the college for seven years and will return to faculty to focus on teaching and research.

“Visiting with the students in the region was absolutely phenomenal,” Gupta said. “Some of these students are working up to three jobs to be able to come to school, and they are the heroes here. They are winners because they are investing in themselves for their own futures.”

Gupta comes to the Valley from Louisville, Kentucky, where he was president and CEO of Yash Gupta Consulting, Inc., which provided consulting services for academic institutions and industries based on strategic planning and new market development.

Gupta has years of experience in academia, having worked at prestigious universities such as the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, as dean and professor; the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, as dean and professor of Operations Management; and the University of Washington Business School, as dean and professor of Operations Management.

“Academia is in my blood and I have been a part of academia for many years,” Gupta said. “From my experience, what the Valley has to offer is incredible because of the economic development of the region and the importance of the role the university plays in that development.”

Gupta holds a PhD in Management Sciences from the University of Bradford in England, and a Master of Technology in Production Management from Brunel University of West London, England. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Production Engineering from Panjab University in India with first-class honors, and holds a Professional Engineering license (P.Eng.) with the Association of Professional Engineers in Manitoba, Canada.

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Gupta as the new dean of the Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship,” said Dr. Patricia McHatton, executive vice president of Academic Affairs, Student Success and P-16 Integration. “He comes with an extensive amount of transformative leadership experience and the ability to pursue and seize the multiple opportunities we have here in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond. We look forward to working with him.”

Gupta envisions many opportunities for students and the community as a whole as the Valley continues to grow. Focusing on service learning, experience in the field opportunities and mentorships will drive students into the best possible careers, he said.

“The population is growing and there are many economic developments taking place,” he said. “The future of the Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship will be highly successful as long as we adopt a student-centric culture and continue to provide programs the community needs and the students want.”