New Chancellor Named for UMKC

The University of Missouri System has named C. Mauli Agrawal the new chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City effective June 20th of this year. 

Agrawal comes to UMKC from the University of Texas San Antonio where he served as the interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.  

“We had a very strong finalist pool, but what made Dr. Agrawal stand out was his combination of strong academic credentials with proven entrepreneurial skills,” said David Steelman, chair of the University of Missouri Board of Curators, in a press release sent out by the university. “He understands the mission of UMKC, but he also knows that mission can only be fulfilled through innovative approaches and risk; he is not a status quo leader.”

Agrawal has a long history in the field of education starting in his home country of India where he received a bachelor’s degree of technology from IIT-Kanpur.  From there he earned his master’s at Celmton in 1985 and a doctorate from Duke in 1989.  He moved from there to the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio where he became a professor of orthopedics and bioengineering.  He was soon named the dean of the college of engineering as well as the vice president for research before he assumed his last role with UTSA as interim provost. 

According to the press release from the university, “During his tenure as dean, Agrawal led the UTSA College of Engineering to a 40 percent increase in student enrollment, a 50 percent increase in faculty, and a 400 percent increase in research funding. In 2010, he worked closely with the city of San Antonio and Mayor Julian Castro to establish the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute at UTSA, which received a $50 million pledge of support from CPS Energy, the city-owned utility operation.”

“I’m very excited to be chosen to help lead this great university. The potential for the University of Missouri-Kansas City is immense and exciting,” Agrawal said. “UMKC has all the elements necessary to make a great university. With strengths in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, business, engineering, arts and theater, the university is an exceptional anchor for economic development in the Kansas City region. I’m looking forward to working with UMKC’s faculty and staff as well as Kansas City’s civic leaders who are passionate about higher education and are constantly working to make Kansas City a great place to live, learn and work.”