Latha Ramchand

Chancellor Ramchand joined IU Indianapolis at a transformative time in the campus’s history, bringing strategic vision and energy to launch IU Indianapolis as a leading urban research university.

Before joining IU Indianapolis in 2024, she served as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Missouri (MU) from 2018 to 2023. In that role, she oversaw efforts that improved student retention and graduation rates, expanded undergraduate research opportunities, enhanced the Honors College, implemented a new resource allocation model, and led the rollout of MU’s strategic plan, with a focus on strengthening research, including the work at the academic health center at MU.

Prior to that, Dr. Ramchand served as dean of the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston (UH), where she had been a faculty member since 1993. During her time as dean, she increased enrollment, improved student outcomes, doubled the research budget, and raised more than $73 million in external support. Her fundraising success included gifts to name three endowed Centers of Excellence.

Her work has consistently emphasized student success, community and industry partnerships that create opportunities for learning and leadership. At both MU and UH, she reorganized student-facing services and expanded access to academic advising. She also launched new initiatives in executive education and social entrepreneurship that benefited the city, state, and region.

Dr. Ramchand is widely recognized for her leadership and scholarship. In 1995, she was honored with a Faculty Excellence Proclamation by the Mayor of Houston and the Houston City Council. She was named one of Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of 2015 by Houston Woman Magazine.

An expert in international and corporate finance, Dr. Ramchand holds a Ph.D. in finance from Northwestern University and a master’s and bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Bombay. Her academic research has focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and leadership. She has published extensively and presented at national and international conferences. She is a chartered financial analyst and has served on several advisory boards, including the National Small Business Development Center Advisory Board, the Center for Financial Planning Board of Directors, and the Beta Gamma Sigma Board of Governors.

Chancellor Ramchand and her husband, Ram, have two children and two grandchildren.