Business as a Force for Good: Leveraging Internal Talents to Impact Communities

Dr. Rashmi Prasad serves as Academic Vice-President for the College of Business at Western Governors University.  His duties include setting the vision and managing the portfolio for one of the largest business schools in the country, currently enrolling approximately 42,000 students nationwide and graduating over 10,000 students in the most recent year. Under Dr. Prasad’s leadership, the College of Business attained initial accreditation with the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs and strives to become an ‘engine of prosperity’, building on the strength of competency-based education to help empower individuals, businesses and communities across the United States.

Prior to coming to WGU, Dr. Prasad served as Dean of the College of Business and Public Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage.  UAA and CBPP were renowned for extensive community engagement and received a Carnegie classification for community engagement.  He led the College of Business and Public Policy through its maintenance of accreditation with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Dr. Prasad served key public institutions and business associations in the state of Alaska, including providing support to the Governor’s Housing Summit, expert testimony to the Alaska Legislature, serving as an advisor to the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, and serving as a board member of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to becoming Dean, Dr. Prasad was a faculty member at the University of Alaska Anchorage for the eleven years and currently holds the rank of Professor of Business Administration.   Prasad completed his baccalaureate and master’s degrees at the University of Michigan and University of Illinois, respectively, before completing his PhD at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.  In his professional life he has been a dedicated educator, frequently honored by students, peers and alumni for the quality of his teaching and student advising.  Dr. Prasad’s primary research focus has been business ethics, inter-cultural management, and health systems administration.  As a researcher and scholar, he has contributed chapters to numerous books and published articles in notable journals such as Business and Politics, Governance, and The Journal of Business Ethics.  In 2014 he presented one of the first management studies at the International Symposium on Contemplative Studies in Boston, an inter-disciplinary conference attracting leading researchers from every field.