Friday May 16, 2025
Media contact: Stephen Howard | Director of marketing and communications | 405-744-4363 | Stephen.howard@osostate.edu
THE Spears School of Business Oklahoma State University appointed Dr. Brij Thapa as vice-dean of teachers, higher education and research programs.
Thapa brings a large experience as a largely quoted scholarship holder, an established leader and an innovator for academic programs. Over the past five years, he has been a professor and chief of Hospitality and tourism management schoolhoused in Spears affairs. Research, reputation and school rankings have considerably increased under Thapa, climbing n ° 8 in the United States and 22 in the world, according to the recent The global classification of Shanghairanking of Academic subjects.
Thapa, who holds the distinguished president of Carl and Marilynn Thoma, recently completed a development program for managing the national competition in university leadership at Harvard University. He will start his new role on July 1.
“I am grateful to the opportunity to serve as a vice-dean for teachers, higher education programs and research at the Spears School of Business,” said Thapa. “It is a chance to contribute directly to strategic objectives and to shape the future according to people, processes and priorities.
“In my 25 years in academia, I have always been a champion in Driving Excellence in Graduate Education, Student Mentorship and Success, Faculty Development, Interdisciplinary Research and Grant Activity – and My Experience Aligns Perfectly with the responsibility of this role. Foster has collaborative Environment that empowers Faculty, supports Graduate Students and Drives Innovation, Ultimately Contributing to the Advance of Research, Rankings and Overall Rapotation of Lances.
At the OSU, Thapa was widely involved in initiatives relating to the synergy of the study program, the coordination of research, grant activities, recruitment and incentives of teachers, educational excellence, online programming, industry advisory advice and awareness programs.
Before the OSU, he spent 20 years at the University of Florida in Gainesville, occupying various roles of university and administrative leadership at the levels of the department, college and university. He also completed a selective advanced leadership training program for nine months for administrators.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Thapa in his new leadership role,” said Dr. Jim Payne, dean of Spears Business. “In addition to his experience prior to the University of Florida, Brij brings a strong work ethics to this role, as evidenced by his efforts to raise the academic profile of the host school and tourism management by working in close collaboration with the faculty, the staff and the students.”
Thapa succeeds Dr Rameh Sharda, who decided to return to teachers to focus on research and teaching after more than 11 years as vice-dean of higher education and research programs. Sharda’s leadership has raised business school’s commitment to faculty research grants and has increased national Spears Business higher education programs. The online MBA is skyrocketing at n ° 11 in US News & World Report classification, while the Master in commercial analysis and data science increased to n ° 2 Fortune.comrankings.
“As one of the oldest teachers in Spears, Ramesh gave an example as a researcher and demonstrated his servant leadership to help others during his career,” said Payne. “I sincerely appreciate her dedication to the Spears School of Business in the past four decades.”
Thapa is an active scholar and has a distinguished file of scholarships as evidenced by publications in the main university journals, book chapters, technical reports, professional presentations and external funding of subsidies. With a direct impact on university colleagues, he appeared among the 2% the 2% of the most cited researchers on the list of the best scientists in the world in the tourist / sport / leisure category. He was an American specialist in Fulbright and recently finished writing the newspaper.
In higher education, Thapa has demonstrated leadership by the development of programs, the assessment of programs, the implementation of online diplomas, new courses, interdisciplinary certificates, research and mentorship of students. He supervised and supervised many graduate students who are placed in the academic world, the government, international agencies and the private sector in the United States and / or worldwide.
Thapa obtained his doctorate and master’s degree in tourism and leisure management of the Pennsylvania State University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration at West Liberty University in Virginia-Western.
Thapa’s new appointment is awaiting approval by the Board of Regents of Oklahoma A&M.