Advancing Academic Excellence
Georgia Southern University is a dynamic institution of higher learning. We stand ready to serve our region, nation, and world through our public impact research mission. Georgia Southern offers our students a world of opportunities to excel and pursue their curiosity guided by world-class teacher-scholars who are creating significant research and scholarship.
The Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs serves as the chief academic officer at Georgia Southern, reporting to the president. Working closely with the President and an extensive group of campus colleagues, he guides strategic planning and policy development, promotes campus-wide academic initiatives, and defines budgetary and development priorities. The Provost also oversees the university’s ten colleges and the University Libraries.
As the chief academic officer, I am honored to lead and support a dynamic academic community committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service. Georgia Southern’s mission—to prepare students to think, lead, teach, and serve—resonates deeply with my own values as an academic leader.
With more than 130 degree programs across nine colleges and three vibrant campuses, Georgia Southern combines the rigor of a nationally recognized research institution with the personalized experience of a student-centered university. Our faculty are dedicated scholars and educators who bring innovation into the classroom and impact into the community.
As we look to the future, I am focused on fostering academic innovation, expanding access to transformative learning opportunities, and ensuring every student is equipped to succeed in a rapidly changing world. We will do this by working collaboratively across disciplines, embracing inclusive excellence, and building strong partnerships within and beyond our region.
I invite you to explore the remarkable academic programs and initiatives underway at Georgia Southern. Together, we will continue to elevate the university’s mission—and empower the next generation of learners, leaders, and changemakers.
Avinandan “Avi” Mukherjee
Provost and Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs
About Dr. Mukherjee
Dr. Avinandan (Avi) Mukherjee joined Georgia Southern University as the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs on July 1, 2025. As Chief Academic Officer, Avi oversees all of the University’s academic affairs, including ten colleges, five libraries, research, student affairs, online learning, global education, and career education across three campuses, with a strong passion for academic excellence and student success.
Dr. Mukherjee has over 17 years of progressive experience in institutional leadership roles in American public higher education, including provost and chief academic officer of two large comprehensive research universities; dean of two AACSB-accredited colleges of business; and department chair of marketing for an AACSB-accredited school of business. Prior to joining Georgia Southern, Avi served as the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Marshall University from 2021 to 2025, where he oversaw all academic affairs for thirteen colleges, schools and libraries (including Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy), in addition to enrollment management, student affairs, research, institutional research, online learning, career education, certifications and microcredentials, etc. Prior to this role, he was Dean of the Lewis College of Business at Marshall (2017-2021) where he spearheaded a collaboration with external and internal stakeholders to garner more than $45 million in philanthropic support to strategically transform the college.
He has served as a tenured Professor of Marketing and International Business, with significant research publications and citations, and teaching at the undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral levels, in the U.S. and top international universities around the world.
He is the co-author of the renowned well-known book on sustainability, “An Integrated Approach to Environmental Management” published by John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey. Dr. Mukherjee is also the Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed scholarly journal “International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing” published by Emerald, UK. His research has been published in high-impact peer-reviewed scholarly journals such as Journal of Retailing, Journal of Business Research, Psychology & Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Journal of Marketing Management, Information Systems Management, Communications of the ACM, and so on. Avi has a uniquely international background having studied or worked in nine different countries, including United Kingdom, France, Singapore and India.Dr. Mukherjee is strongly committed to community partnerships and professional engagement. He has served on boards and/or executive committees of various national associations or organizations such as the NCAA Division I Degree Completion Award Committee, Council on Academic Affairs at APLU, Clayton Chamber of Commerce (Atlanta), AACSB International, West Virginia Public Education Collaborative, and the Society for Advancement of Management (SAM). He has served as Chair of the Regents Academic Advisory Committee on Business Administration, Management, and Economics for the University System of Georgia, and as a member on the Regents Administrative Advisory Committee on Economic Development for the University System of Georgia. He was included in the 2017 Education: Who’s Who in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Priorities and Initiatives
Student Success
Advancing student success is our primary mission. Our faculty are not just world-renowned scholars, they are also excellent teachers. They are greatly invested in student success—they guide and mentor students throughout their academic pursuits and they prepare them for where they want to go in life and to craft their own story. We believe there is no greater benchmark for our success as a university than a graduate with a great career.
Public Impact Research
Georgia Southern is a public impact research university. Faculty research, scholarship, and creative activities improve lives and serve our communities—locally, regionally, nationally and globally.
Empowering Faculty Excellence
Faculty members are a cornerstone of the Georgia Southern community, shaping students’ lives through mentorship and expertise. The University offers training and resources to help faculty excel in teaching, scholarship and more.
