February 24, 2023
Serving as the Provost and Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs at Shawnee State University, Dr. Sunil Ahuja is looking towards the future of SSU’s academic endeavors. His newest venture is implementing the university’s “Shawnee at 40” strategic plan.
With thirty years of experience in higher education, Dr. Ahuja made his way to SSU with knowledge as a past faculty member, Department Chair, Academic Dean, Associate Provost, and as a Vice President for Accreditation Relations, Institutional Change and Research at the Higher Learning Commission in Chicago. After two years in his new position, he has found himself thankful for his colleagues who have afforded him the opportunity to connect with the university in a new way. Working with them, he has been able to look forward to the next step in SSU’s bright future.
“I think we have a lot of opportunity for Shawnee State to grow and expand and look to the future,” he said. “I’m very pleased to help and be part of the Shawnee State community in that sense.”
In his role as Provost and Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs, Dr. Ahuja serves as the Chief Academic Officer, leading faculty, academic programs, and initiatives. Unlike other universities, the role of SSU’s Provost includes student affairs, which has been enjoyable for Dr. Ahuja.
“That makes it exciting to be able to be more involved in student affairs, but it is also a bigger job because it expands my oversight from just the academic programs, policies, and procedures to student success as well,” he said.
As he progresses in his role, Dr. Ahuja wants his work to continue to contribute to the elevation of the institution’s profile, the faculty profile, and the academic programs’ profiles while also noting the importance of contributing to diversity at the university.
“Diversity of thought even – not just race or other attributes – but different ideas, philosophies, ways of doing things or solving problems – those kinds of things we might not have if everybody came from the same background or experiences,” he said. “As we graduate students and they go out into the world, it’s going to be important for their careers, jobs, and futures to understand the complexities of the world which we get from diversity.”
Part of Dr. Ahuja’s role is overseeing the university’s “Shawnee at 40” strategic plan that was recently implemented. A set of initiatives and goals for the university’s upcoming 40th anniversary, the plan covers benchmarks for measuring student success, the roll-out of upcoming undergraduate and graduate programs, and a strong emphasis on diversity of the student body, faculty, and staff.
“I think it’s important to use these measures to elevate the institution and to explore new opportunities in the region for programs and students,” he said. “There is definitely a strong emphasis and focus on student success for us to analyze and ensure completion. It’s pretty comprehensive and robust in terms of where we want Shawnee State to be in five years from now for our 40th anniversary.”
To view the university’s “Shawnee at 40” plan, visit shawnee.edu/strategic-plan.
This feature was originally released in the Shawnee Magazine 2022 issue. To view the full magazine online, visit shawnee.edu/magazine.