The Penn State Alumni Association is set to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of 13 distinguished Penn State alumni in 2023 through the prestigious Alumni Fellow Award. Among the notable recipients this year is Ajay Nair, a highly regarded figure in the realm of student affairs, known nationally for his expertise in addressing issues related to students.
With a strong academic background focusing on social justice, race, and ethnicity, Nair currently serves as the president of Arcadia University, located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, where he oversees a vibrant community of nearly 4,000 students. His tenure at Arcadia is marked by a historic milestone, as he became the first person of color to hold this position at the university and one of the early college presidents of Indian-American descent in the United States.
Before assuming his current role at Arcadia University, Nair occupied executive leadership positions at renowned institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and the University of Virginia. He also contributed as a faculty member at each of these prestigious universities and extended his educational influence to the World Language Institute in Kwangju, South Korea.
Throughout his illustrious career, Nair has garnered numerous prestigious accolades, including the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) 2018 Dr. Doris Michiko Ching Shattering the Glass Ceiling Award and the 2019 Outstanding Allyship Award. His unwavering commitment to building connections within the Asian/Pacific Islander/Desi American communities led to NASPA naming the Allyship Award after him in 2019.
In 2020, the Philadelphia Business Journal honored Nair as a prominent minority business leader, recognizing his influential contributions. Furthermore, in 2023, he received recognition in City and State Pennsylvania’s Higher Education Power 100 list, a testament to his pivotal role in leading the university’s initiatives to confront and combat anti-Black racism.
