Devinder Malhotra Named Interim Chancellor of Minnesota State

The board of trustees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Feb. 9 announced that Indian American educator Devinder Malhotra was unanimously voted to serve as the interim chancellor at Minnesota State. Malhotra was chosen on an interim basis following an extensive search that didn’t yield a person to hold the post on a permanent basis, the board said in a news release. He will serve in his capacity until a permanent chancellor is named.

“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. “Dr. Malhotra is a gifted leader with the experience, the understanding of our system, and the collaborative skills required to lead the system while the search continues. In his previous service to Minnesota State as an interim president of Metropolitan State University, he demonstrated his ability to keep us moving forward. Dr. Malhotra will ensure our ability to serve students and communities across Minnesota so we can meet the state’s need for talent. I thank him for his willingness to serve.”

Malhotra has previously served as an interim president of Metropolitan State University from 2014 until his retirement in 2016, demonstrating the ability to keep MSCU moving forward, Vekich noted.

“Dr. Malhotra will ensure our ability to serve students and communities across Minnesota so we can meet the state’s need for talent. I thank him for his willingness to serve,” the board chair added. “I appreciate the confidence that chair Vekich and the board of trustees has placed in me,” said Malhotra in a statement. “And I look forward to once again serving the students of Minnesota State as we continue our critical work.”

In additional to Metropolitan State, Malhotra served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at St. Cloud State University from 2009 to 2014.

He has also been dean of the University of Southern Maine’s College of Arts and Sciences from 2005 to 2009 and the University of Akron Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences associate dean before that. A tenured professor of economics for more than three decades, he has served on the faculty of the University of Southern Maine and the University of Akron. Malhotra holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s from the University of Delhi, and a doctorate from Kansas State University.