VCU news

By VCU News staff

Mangala Subramaniam, Ph.D., has been hired as senior vice provost for faculty affairs in the Virginia Commonwealth University Office of the Provost, effective Oct. 2. Subramaniam currently serves as the Butler Chair and director of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence at Purdue University. 

Subramaniam brings to VCU a strong background in teaching and research, as well as research-based and innovative methods of faculty engagement in academic decision-making, career development and diversity and inclusion. In her current position, which she has held since 2017, she has transformed the Butler Center into a hub of faculty engagement within the university – providing advising for faculty in professional development; guidance on annual reviews and promotion and tenure; a mentoring network; leadership coaching; and has expanded the scope of the center to include research. 

“Dr. Subramaniam is nationally recognized for her scholarly research and extraordinary impact on faculty development in higher education. She is a renowned national leader who will spearhead our efforts to develop and implement a holistic culture of care for all our faculty across campuses and disciplines,” said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at VCU. “I am confident that Dr. Subramaniam is the right leader to guide our efforts at this most exciting time for VCU. We are lucky to have her join our team.”

As a leading scholar in the areas of gender and its intersections with caste and class, social movements, environmental justice and globalization, Subramaniam has published numerous books, chapters and articles and has been principal investigator, co-principal investigator or consultant on research grants exceeding $800,000. 

She teaches courses about gender and social movements around the world and has received teaching awards at the department and college level. She has held leadership positions for the Sociologists for Women in Society and the American Sociological Association; has served as a member of the editorial board of the journal Gender and Society; and served as an associate editor of the journal Social Problems.

Subramaniam joined the faculty of Purdue in 2001 as assistant professor of sociology and women’s studies and was later promoted to associate professor and professor of sociology. Prior to her current role, she served as director of graduate studies for the Department of Sociology and as the dean’s faculty fellow in the College of Liberal Arts. 

She recently completed her term as co-director of the ACE Women’s Network of Indiana. She received a B.S in physics with math from Delhi University, an M.S. in international development and appropriate technology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Connecticut.

Jill Gordon, Ph.D., will continue to serve in the role of interim senior vice provost until Subramaniam begins.