2025 News

New UMassD business dean introduced to Boston community

Dean Madan Annavarjula shares vision for the future of Charlton with alumni, business leaders, and legislators at the UMass Club

Charlton College of Business Dean Madan Annavarjula addresses a room of alumni, business leaders, and legislators in Boston.

University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan, UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Mark Fuller, and Charlton College of Business Dean Madan Annavarjula took center stage in the heart of Boston last week to connect with key business leaders, legislators, and alumni discussing the future of one of the fastest-rising business schools in the nation.

Held at the UMass Club in Beacon Hill, the event served as a bridge between academia and industry, fostering strategic partnerships and reaffirming the university's commitment to expanding opportunities for its students and alumni.

UMassD Alumni Michael Rodrigues '83, chairman of the MA Senate Ways and Means Committee, Tony Cabral '78, state representative, and Julie Ramos Gagliardi '87, vice chair of academic and student affairs for the UMass Board of Trustees, were in attendance.

"We want to be a constructive partner and an agent of change for our communities," said Annavarjula. "There are so many ways we can work together—student internships, consulting projects, feasibility reports, marketing research, and more. When you have a problem, we want you to turn to our faculty and students for a solution."

The Charlton College of Business is one of fewer than six percent of business schools worldwide, and the only one in the SouthCoast, to earn AACSB accreditation, globally recognized by top employers and other universities as the gold-standard for business schools.

This fall, Charlton ranked as the fourth-highest public business school in New England, according to U.S. News & World Report's "Best Undergraduate Business Programs" rankings, marking a 48-spot rise since 2020. Ninety-three percent of Charlton's class of 2023 secured employment within six months of graduating.

"We want to be a constructive partner and an agent of change for our communities. There are so many ways we can work together—student internships, consulting projects, feasibility reports, marketing research, and more. When you have a problem, we want you to turn to our faculty and students for a solution."
Charlton College of Business Dean Madan Annavarjula

President Meehan and Chancellor Fuller delivered remarks that emphasized UMass Dartmouth's growing influence and the critical role the Charlton College of Business plays in driving economic growth and workforce development throughout Massachusetts and the region.

"As a research university, we're making an impact on all sorts of issues throughout the SouthCoast, and we believe that's the best way to train students," said Chancellor Fuller. "Madan has a track record of building some of the best international programs in the nation under his leadership, and we can't be more thrilled for him to join us for Charlton's next chapter."

"UMass Dartmouth is a nationally ranked university with enormous potential, continuing to climb in the rankings, especially for social mobility," said President Meehan. "Frankly, there's nothing more important for a university than advancing social mobility, and UMass Dartmouth is the second-highest ranked university in New England for it."

The Charlton College of Business is an active contributor to the SouthCoast economy, hosting Fall River Entrepreneurship Day in 2023, and "Startup Weekend" in New Bedford in 2024. Last tax season, accounting and finance students contributed over 300 hours to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, processing 403 tax returns and generating $635,000 in refunds. Last spring, 25 marketing majors served as a non-profit marketing agency for local businesses through the NB100! program.