Santanu Chatterjee, a professor and associate dean for graduate programs in the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, has been appointed interim dean of the college, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost S. Jack Hu revealed on Friday.
“Dr. Chatterjee is an exceptionally esteemed scholar and educator, and his leadership has been vital in enhancing the influence of the Terry College through its competitive graduate programs,” Hu stated. “I am delighted that he has consented to steer the Terry College through this transitional phase. Due to the dedication of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni, Terry has established a well-earned reputation as one of the finest business colleges in the country, and I am confident Dr. Chatterjee will offer the leadership required to maintain its remarkable progress.”
Chatterjee, the Harold A. Black Distinguished Professor of Economics, also functions as the director of both the full-time MBA and the Master of Science in Business Analytics programs at Terry College. He will commence his role as interim dean on June 30. Benjamin C. Ayers, who has been dean of the Terry College since 2014, was recently appointed UGA’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
“Dr. Chatterjee’s administrative background and thorough understanding of the Terry College and the university provide exceptional preparation for his role as interim dean,” Ayers remarked. “I greatly value his contributions and look forward to seeing Terry reach new milestones as one of the nation’s premier business schools.”
Terry’s full-time MBA program has gained global recognition since Chatterjee took on the directorship in 2014. The program was acknowledged as the No. 1 value for cost worldwide by the Financial Times in both 2024 and 2025. In an additional ranking, the program secured the No. 11 spot among public business schools and No. 29 overall in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report survey. This marked the eighth consecutive year the survey has enlisted the UGA MBA among the top 20 full-time programs at public universities.
Chatterjee was elevated to associate dean in 2021, focusing on the enhancement and expansion of graduate programs. He has worked to broaden interdisciplinary offerings by establishing new dual-degree programs with the College of Engineering, the School of Law, and the College of Pharmacy. He also contributed to the development of Terry’s Pathway MBA for undergraduates in STEM fields and its 2+2 Early Admissions Program, which allows UGA undergraduates to obtain an early admissions decision and deferred enrollment for the full-time MBA.
“I appreciate the chance to support the college in this role and recognize that we are transitioning from a notably strong foundation,” Chatterjee expressed. “I am eager to assist our faculty, staff, students, and alumni as we collaborate to promote the college’s objectives.”
Chatterjee has received numerous accolades for his teaching, research, and service at both college and university levels. In 2018, he was honored as a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, the highest instructional recognition at the university. He was awarded the Richard Reiff Award for Campus Internationalization in 2021 for his outstanding contributions to global education at UGA. Chatterjee has garnered the George P. Swift Award for Outstanding Teaching in Undergraduate Economics three times and received the university’s Hugh O. Nourse Outstanding MBA Teacher Award in 2018.
Chatterjee has extensively published on economics in peer-reviewed journals and books, and he is regularly invited to present his research at national and international conferences and seminars.
Chatterjee has served the university community as a member of the University Council along with the Educational Affairs, Program Review and Assessment, and University Libraries committees. He is a participant in the UGA Teaching Academy and a fellow of the Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program.
Chatterjee obtained his doctorate in economics from the University of Washington, his master’s in economics from Delhi University, and his bachelor’s in economics from the University of Calcutta. He became part of the UGA faculty in 2001 as an assistant professor in the Terry College.
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