ST. PAUL — Minnesota State announced Thursday that it has chosen Devinder Malhotra as its interim chancellor.
The Board of Trustees, the governing body that oversees Minnesota State, voted unanimously to appoint Malhotra. This comes after Chancellor Steven Rosenstone announced his intention to retire last year , upon the completion of his contract in July 2017. Rosenstone has served as chancellor since 2011.
The board conducted an "extensive search," but concluded it had "not yet identified the right individual to serve as chancellor on a permanent basis," according to a Minnesota State news release.
Malhorta will serve as interim chancellor until a permanent one is named. Details on the continuation of the search aren't yet available.
"I am very pleased that Devinder Malhotra has agreed to serve in this critical role," said Michael Vekich, chair of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees, calling him a "gifted leader with the experience, the understanding of our system, and the collaborative skills required to leader the system while the search continues."
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Malhotra has served as a leader at two Minnesota State universities: Metropolitan State University as interim president from 2014 until his 2016 retirement, and at St. Cloud State University as provost and vice president for academic affairs from 2009 to 2014.
Before that, he was a dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern Maine from 2005 to 2009, associate dean of Butchel College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Akron. He was a tenured professor of economics for more than three decades, and served as a faculty member at the University of Southern Maine and the University of Akron.
He holds a bachelor's degree and a master's from the University of Delhi, and a doctorate from Kansas State University. He also completed the Management Development Program of the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education.
"I appreciate the confidence that Chair Vekich and the Board of Trustees has placed in me," said Malhotra, "and I look forward to once again serving the students of Minnesota State as we continue our critical work."
Rochester Community and Technical College's interim president, Mary Davenport, said she's worked with Malhotra at St. Cloud State University and Metropolitan State.
"He is a kind and compassionate champion for student success," Davenport said. "Having been a part of the Minnesota State system, he understands the opportunities and challenges facing our system and the state."
