Santanu Chatterjee, a widely respected scholar, teacher and leader in the University of Georgia’s C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry College of Business, has been named the college’s 13th dean.
Chatterjee, who previously served as associate dean for graduate programs and most recently as interim dean, was selected following a national search.
“Dr. Chatterjee brings a strong record of teaching, scholarship and administrative experience to this important role,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “With his years of dedicated service to the Terry College of Business, I am confident he will continue to advance the college’s reputation as one of the top public business schools in the country.”
Chatterjee holds the Dr. Harold A. Black Distinguished Professorship of Economics and has been a member of the Terry College faculty since 2001. Before his appointment as dean, he served as director of both the full-time MBA and the Master of Science in Business Analytics programs, in addition to his role as associate dean for graduate programs. He succeeds Benjamin C. Ayers, who led the college from 2014 until his 2025 appointment as the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
“Dr. Chatterjee’s deep familiarity with the Terry College, combined with his proven excellence as a teacher and leader, makes him the ideal choice for this role,” Ayers said. “He has played a vital role in Terry’s rise to national prominence, and I look forward to seeing the college reach even greater heights under his leadership.”
Leadership and impact
Since 2014, Chatterjee’s leadership of the full-time MBA program has helped elevate Terry to significant national and international recognition. The college has been ranked the No. 1 value for the money globally by the Financial Times for three straight years. Terry is ranked No. 9 among public business schools and No. 19 overall in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report undergraduate survey, and the UGA MBA program has been ranked among the top 20 full-time programs at public universities for eight consecutive years.
Since being promoted to associate dean in 2021, Chatterjee has expanded the college’s interdisciplinary offerings. He championed new dual-degree programs with the College of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Social Work and the College of Pharmacy, and he spearheaded the Pathway MBA for STEM undergraduates and the 2+2 MBA Early Admissions Program, strengthening access for high-achieving students pursuing graduate business education.
As interim dean, Chatterjee led efforts to secure significant new donor commitments, including four new endowed chairs and professorships. He also worked with the college’s development and alumni relations team to cultivate new philanthropic opportunities, particularly around emerging artificial intelligence initiatives and expanded graduate program priorities.
Excellence in teaching and scholarship
Chatterjee’s career reflects an enduring commitment to excellence in both teaching and research. In 2018, he was named a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, the university’s highest honor for instruction. He is a three-time recipient of the George P. Swift Award for Outstanding Teaching in Undergraduate Economics and has also received the 2018 Hugh O. Nourse Outstanding MBA Teacher Award and the 2022 Richard Reiff Award for Campus Internationalization.
A prolific researcher, Chatterjee has published extensively on a range of economic topics in refereed journals and edited volumes. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences and is a fellow of the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program.
“It is an honor and privilege to be named dean of a college that has been my professional home for over two decades,” Chatterjee said. “I am grateful to President Morehead and Provost Ayers for their confidence in me, and I am eager to work alongside our world-class faculty, staff, students and alumni to build on our strong foundation and reach even greater heights. Together, we will continue to build the nation’s most globally engaged, student-centered and future-ready business school.”
Chatterjee earned his doctorate in economics from the University of Washington, his master’s degree from the University of Delhi and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Calcutta.
Chatterjee’s appointment follows a national search led by an 18-member advisory committee composed of Terry College faculty, staff, students and alumni. The committee was chaired by Matthew R. Auer, dean of the School of Public and International Affairs, and was assisted by the UGA Search Group.
Chatterjee will begin his permanent appointment as dean on April 1, 2026.