Sridhar Sundaram joined Cal State Fullerton as the dean of the College of Business and Economics on July 15, 2021.

Previously, Sundaram served as the Tiedemann-Cotton dean of the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, and campus dean for the Muma College of Business, both at the University of South Florida.

He began his 33 years in higher education as a faculty member in finance, but quickly took on administrative roles, moving from department chair to academic director, associate dean and ultimately, dean. Along the way, Sundaram has been recognized for outstanding teaching, service and research.

While his early academic research focused on the management of banking institutions, corporate governance and asset pricing, Sundaram’s current scholarly project looks at the impact of the pandemic on minority-owned micro businesses. As part of this work, he and his team are assessing the effectiveness of proposed federal, state, and local policies on these businesses — especially which can make the most meaningful contributions to their long-term economic health.

While ascending the academic ranks, Sundaram also gained business experience outside the university. He has worked for many years with his family’s retail business while also consulting with regional businesses in his communities and serving on a number of boards. Currently, he is member of the Orange County Business Council, Orange County Goodwill and Orange County United Way Board of Directors and the Advisory Board for the OC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Previously, he served as the chair of the board of governors for the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and as a board member for Saint Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Sundaram looks forward to emphasizing academic innovation, high-impact research, and strong connections to the business community in his role as Dean of the College of Business and Economics at CSUF.

Sundaram holds a doctorate in finance and MBA from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in accounting from PSG College of Arts & Science in India.