Dr. Tanuja Singh calls herself a “Midwesterner at heart.” Singh was recently named president of the University of Indianapolis
New UIndy president Tanaja Singh is introducted at the DeHaan Center during formal announcement on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. (Photo: D. Todd Moore)
after an extensive global search for new leadership. Singh brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in higher education.
She most recently served as provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Loyola University New Orleans. She says her role there required her to look at academic offerings from a student perspective, and a community and corporate partnerships view. She worked to bring relevant curricula in a changing environment.
Before that role, she served as dean of the Greehey School of Business for 11 years at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. She says both roles prepared her for her new position at UIndy because they required her to look at the big picture of where the world is going, not just where it is now.
She began her role at UIndy on July 1 and has already started working on her strategic visioning project. She says the Indianapolis is experiencing rapid growth and is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.
Environmental portraits of new UIndy president prior to announcement on Monday, March 20, 2023. (Photo: D. Todd Moore)
“In the next three to five years, we want to make sure our educational curriculum is impactful for corporate partners like the hospital systems,” Singh says. “We also want to make sure it’s meaningful for our students because, at the end of the day, we want to make sure they lead meaningful lives and have something about which they’re passionate. We are also looking to increase our international presence. Some people don’t know this, but UIndy has students from 70 countries worldwide.”
Singh says she is committed to creating more corporate sponsorships between the school and Indiana businesses. She says the College of Health Sciences is very strong at UIndy and is poised to provide talent to the overgrowing health care needs of the state.
“One thing I keep hearing in my meetings with government leaders is that we have the jobs, but we just don’t have enough of the talent to supply the jobs,” Singh says. “Our students are very diverse, which contributes to the social and cultural environment of Indianapolis.”
She says she was attracted to the position and the city because of the high-caliber faculty at UIndy. She’s excited to start working with local high schools to showcase all the opportunities students have at the school.
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