Towson University names Prabakar Kothandaraman as new business dean

By Morgan Lane, Contributing Writer

Towson University chose Prabakar Kothandaraman as its new dean for the College of Business and Economics, and he will begin his term on July 2, 2025.

“We’re really excited about him joining us,” President Mark Ginsberg said. “He’ll join us this summer and take the reins of the school of business, economics soon after.”

Prabakar has served as the Dean of SUNY Oswego’s School of Business since 2019. He was drawn to Towson’s business program because it has a great graduation rate, close ties with the business community and has a firm foundation for him to work with.

Prabakar wants to continue pushing the business program to the next level through experiential learning and community engagement. He finds it important to serve students as he would a customer, an attitude he picked up from working in sales.

“You exist to serve others,” Prabakar said. “You have to rejoice in others’ success.”

The upcoming dean plans to do this by getting to know his students on a more personal level. Through the Dean’s Advisory Board at the School of Business, SUNY Oswego, he worked with students and faculty to ensure that student needs were being met. At Towson, he plans to connect with his students and help them identify their purpose early on in their college careers.

“He conveyed the impression to us all that he had ideas, but was very interested in listening to others,” Matthew Nugent, dean of the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, said. Nugent served as the chair of the dean search committee.

While Prabakar likes to push students to their fullest potential without micromanaging them, he emphasizes the importance of having a good sense of humor. 

“The biggest thing you can do wrong is to take yourself too seriously,” Prabakar said.

When he isn’t nose-deep into his leadership role, Prabakar enjoys writing poetry in his mother tongue, Tamil. He is also passionate about both Indian and American theater productions, making frequent visits to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

An earlier version of this article said Prabakar would use experimental learning in his new role. The article has been updated to say experiential learning. The Towerlight regrets this error.