Cleveland State University and the Monte Ahuja College of Business are pleased to announce Dr. Rama K. Jayanti, professor of marketing, as the new Monte Ahuja Endowed Chair in Global Business.

In this role, Jayanti works with community partners, both public and private, to establish new research areas and develop leading-edge educational programs. She will also create new graduate programs that will both enhance the CSU learning experience and boost the university's visibility.

"A professor who holds an endowed chair is expected to serve as a beacon of energy that generates innovative thinking about important social problems," said Jayanti. "This energy creates ripples of impact by engaging students, provoking scholars and reaching out to the greater community. I hope to be instrumental in bringing this new energy to the endowed chair position and to the Monte Ahuja College of Business."

A member of CSU's faculty since 1992, Jayanti recently finished teaching and conducting research at Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore on a Fulbright grant. There, she explored consumers' learning in health communities, the threat to consumer health by pharmaceutical marketing and improving theories and methods in the health marketing discipline. Much of her recent work has also focused on the digital transformation of healthcare.

Jayanti has a strong portfolio of research published in top journals in the field of marketing such as the Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Macro Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Advertising Research and Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, among others. Her worldwide teaching experience spans the United States, Germany, India and Singapore.

She also actively serves several non-profit organizations, including Playhouse Square and Habitat for Humanity, and is an ardent champion of sustainability initiatives at the Monte Ahuja College of Business and campus-wide.

As a first-generation American and working mother, Jayanti feels fortunate to be part of a family-friendly culture at the Monte Ahuja College of Business and CSU. Having received multiple U.S. Fulbright awards, she has helped harness and clarify the capabilities of different regions through the world, which has in turn won her international recognition as a scholar.

"CSU has been a steady home in my professional journey, and this appointment is a testament to my long-term efforts and commitment to CSU," she said. "I want to thank the Ahujas for their generous support in setting up this endowment. This recognition signals our top management's commitment to recognize faculty excellence in teaching, mentorship, research, governance and outreach efforts. The current leadership's extraordinary focus on diversity and inclusion makes me proud to be associated with CSU."