Arcadia University President Ajay Nair is included among the top educational leaders in Pennsylvania in this year’s City & State Pennsylvania Higher Education Power 100. 

The list includes university presidents such as Neeli Bendpudi from the Pennsylvania State University, Liz Magill from the University of Pennsylvania, and Jason Wingard from Temple University, among others. 

City & State commended President Nair for diversifying both the university’s board and its executive leadership, as well as for launching the Combating Anti-Black Racism (CABR) initiative. 

“One of the U.S.’s first university presidents of Indian American descent, Arcadia University’s Ajay Nair has prioritized social justice and racial equity throughout his career,” City & State wrote in its article. “Nair joined Arcadia in 2018 and has guided the diversification of both the university’s board and its executive leadership, as well as spearheading the campus initiative known as Combating Anti-Black Racism. Regularly consulted on diversity in higher education, Nair previously held leadership positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.”

Dr. Nair is the first person of color to be appointed president at Arcadia, and is among the first college or university presidents of Indian-American descent in the United States.