
“It’s a blessing to lead an institution that transforms the delivery of liberal arts education to produce work-ready and life-ready students.”
President Ajay Nair
After a national search, Arcadia University proudly welcomed Ajay Nair, Ph.D., as the institution’s 22nd president on April 2, 2018. President Nair is a nationally recognized expert in student affairs issues and an accomplished social justice, race, and ethnicity scholar. Dr. Nair is the first person of color to be appointed president in the institution’s history and is among the first college or university presidents of Indian-American descent in the United States.
Dr. Nair supports a community of 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students, as well as thousands of students studying abroad from other U.S. institutions, and challenges them to make a difference not just in their lives but in the global communities we serve. He maintains the University’s strong commitment to putting students at the center of all we do.
“At Arcadia University, we lead with generosity, giving our time and attention to one another and our global communities; we lead courageously, encouraging innovation and authenticity; and we lead with humility, engaging in self-reflection and self-critique. We are a reflection of the world that we want to live in.”
About President Nair
Biography ↗
Read more about President Nair’s impressive career and accomplishments.
Communications↗
View and read President Nair’s messages, writings, speeches, and newsletters.
Inauguration 2018 ↗
The installation of Dr. Ajay Nair, as the 22nd President of Arcadia University.
Leadership Team & Governance
Presidential Initiatives

Approved by the Board of Trustees on February 20, 2020, the adaptive nature of this strategy is intended to help us experiment and take initiative, ask questions and create synergies, and move Arcadia ahead through often unknown and unknowable environments.

The 2022 President’s Report reflects on our strategic and values-based approach to decision-making will remain as true to our core as it ever did, keeping us on a path that places student success at the center of all we do.

Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) are infused in all that we do to create a welcoming environment for all. Our efforts to Combat Anti-Black Racism (CABR), and anti-oppression actions enhance the student experience, campus life, our curriculum, and our entire University community.