Boston, Massachusetts (Commonwealth Union)_Sunil Kumar, an Indian-American academician, has been named the next president of Tufts University in Massachusetts, making him the first person of color to hold the post. On July 1, 2023, Kumar, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Johns Hopkins University, will succeed the current president, Anthony P. Monaco.
According to Peter Dolan, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the presidential search committee, Sunil Kumar brings to Tufts his lifelong dedication to quality higher education and an incredibly excellent record as a leader, educator, and colleague. He expressed confidence in Kumar’s ability and skills, saying that he will be an exceptional successor to President Monaco, who has bolstered Tufts in several ways over the past eleven years. According to Dolan’s latest university statement, Sunil’s dedication to research, learning, civic involvement, and innovation will strengthen Tufts’ goal of bettering the world.
Kumar expressed delight over the accomplishment. In a video posted on the Tufts website, he said: “It would not have been possible for me as a son of a police officer to do anything else. And therefore, affordability is not a theoretical concept for me. I hope I represent an example of somebody who benefited from an institution opening its doors wide. And I would like even more people to have the same opportunity. Diversity and inclusion are indispensable values”.
In the beginning of his academic career, Kumar taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he subsequently became the Fred H. Merrill Professor of Operations, Information, and Technology. He then became dean of the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. In 2016, he was appointed Johns Hopkins’ provost and senior vice president. At Johns Hopkins, Kumar manages the academic goals of the university’s nine schools and has prioritized interdisciplinary research and education, student experience enhancement, and diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives.
Kumar, the son of a police officer, was born and raised in India. He graduated from Mangalore University in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. He then earned his master’s degree in computer science and automation in 1992 from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. During his stay at IISc, he was selected for an electrical engineering PhD program. In 1996, Kumar earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois.
