Santanu Chatterjee Named Dean of UGA’s Terry College of Business
ATHENS, GA — Santanu Chatterjee has been appointed dean of the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, following a national search.
Chatterjee, who has served as interim dean and previously as associate dean for graduate programs, will become the college’s 13th dean. He has been a faculty member at the Terry College since 2001 and holds the Dr. Harold A. Black Distinguished Professorship of Economics.
“Dr. Chatterjee brings a strong record of teaching, scholarship and administrative experience to this important role,” said Jere W. Morehead, president of the University of Georgia. “With his years of dedicated service to the Terry College of Business, I am confident he will continue to advance the college’s reputation as one of the top public business schools in the country.”
Chatterjee succeeds Benjamin C. Ayers, who led the college from 2014 until his appointment in 2025 as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
“Dr. Chatterjee’s deep familiarity with the Terry College, combined with his proven excellence as a teacher and leader, makes him the ideal choice for this role,” Ayers said. “He has played a vital role in Terry’s rise to national prominence, and I look forward to seeing the college reach even greater heights under his leadership.”
During his tenure, Chatterjee has held several leadership roles, including director of the full-time MBA program and the Master of Science in Business Analytics program. Since 2021, he has overseen graduate programs and expanded interdisciplinary offerings, including dual-degree programs with multiple colleges at the university.
Under his leadership of the MBA program, the college received recognition in national and international rankings, including being named the top value for money globally by the Financial Times for three consecutive years. The college is also ranked among the top public business schools in the 2025 survey by U.S. News & World Report.
As interim dean, Chatterjee worked on fundraising initiatives that resulted in new endowed chairs and professorships, and he collaborated with alumni and development teams to support new academic priorities, including programs related to artificial intelligence.
Chatterjee has received multiple teaching honors, including the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship. His research spans several areas of economics and has been published in academic journals and edited volumes.
“It is an honor and privilege to be named dean of a college that has been my professional home for over two decades,” Chatterjee said. “I am grateful to President Morehead and Provost Ayers for their confidence in me, and I am eager to work alongside our faculty, staff, students and alumni to build on our foundation. Together, we will continue to build the nation’s most globally engaged, student-centered and future-ready business school.”
Chatterjee earned his doctorate in economics from the University of Washington, a master’s degree from the University of Delhi, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Calcutta.
His appointment follows a search led by a committee chaired by Matthew R. Auer, dean of the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia.
Chatterjee will assume the role on April 1, 2026.
