CBERDr. Beheruz N. Sethna

Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna is Regents’ Professor of Business and President Emeritus of The University of West Georgia (UWG). UWG underwent considerable growth during Dr. Sethna’s 19-year tenure, and went from a college with just over 7,500 students to a doctoral degree-granting, SACS Level VI university with nearly 12,000 students, and has recently been classified by Carnegie as a Doctoral University (moderate research activity).

The institution’s accomplishments, which he insists are shared ones, were many. UWG increased full time enrollment by approximately 50% with very significant increases in admission standards, increased UWG’s investment in students, faculty, and technology by several million dollars, increased land holdings by more than 70%, and facilities’ square footage by more than 100%. His administration added more facilities square footage than every other previous presidential administration combined in UWG’s 107-year history. UWG’s endowment grew to about 11 times its 1994 level and facility additions and improvements increased by approximately one third of a billion dollars.

UWG acquired its first major endowment to name an academic college, awarded its first honorary doctorates, started its first four doctoral programs, awarded the first Ph.D. in University System of Georgia history outside of the four research universities, and obtained approval for and created Georgia’s first and only Board-approved Honors College. Dr. Sethna awarded more degrees than every other presidential administration combined in the institution’s history and started Georgia’s first Advanced Academy for exceptionally-gifted high school students.

Dr. Sethna is the first known person of Indian origin ever to become president of a university anywhere in America and the first person of any ethnic minority to become president in Georgia other than an HBCU.

He served twice as Interim Executive/Senior Vice Chancellor for the entire University System of Georgia. The Board of Regents has awarded him a Resolution of Commendation and its Cornerstone Award; and he was recognized as the University System of Georgia Chancellor’s 2012 Customer Service President and Institution of the Year. He has been awarded Resolutions of Commendation from the Governor, the Senate, and the House of the State of Georgia. He has been named among the 100 Most Influential Georgians six times and has been presented the Key to the City in two cities in Georgia. 

In 2014, the Carnegie Corporation named him among the “Great Immigrants – Pride of America,” an honor he shares with such luminaries as Einstein and Kissinger, whose accomplishments he emphasizes, are orders of magnitude higher! He has a TEDx talk to his credit in addition to over 100 talks and addresses to academic and business leaders in many countries.

He has been married for more than 44 years to Dr. Madhavi Sethna who has earned her MBA, MA, MS and Ed.D. They have two grown children, Anita Sethna, MD, and Shaun Sethna, JD, two beautiful granddaughters, Zarina Cross Cole and Cyra Shirin Cole, and a wonderful grandson, Surin Shaun Sethna.