In February, IU alumnus Rahul Shrivastav assumed his new role as executive vice president and IU Bloomington provost.

From left, IU Dining Executive Director Rahul Shrivastav recently spent time with IU Bloomington Provost Rahul Shrivastav. Photo by Ethan Gill, Office of the Provost. He’s no stranger to the Bloomington campus, having received his doctoral degree in speech and hearing sciences here. He said he’s glad to be back on campus, and he’s already hit up some old grad school haunts like Lennie’s — where he was thrilled to see his favorite sandwich, the Lennie’s original, still on the menu. But he’s still getting accustomed to new buildings that have sprouted up since he was here last.

“I go somewhere like the School of Public Health, where I used to go play volleyball or run, and it’s still the same, but there are enough new things that I get thrown off occasionally,” he said with a chuckle. “But I’m figuring it out.”

Shrivastav said he’s taking his time to dive deeply into the mechanics of how the campus operates, something that he said wouldn’t be possible without IU’s already-stellar reputation.

“I’ve got the luxury of learning from good people and having the time to do so,” he said. “To me, we’re looking at three big goals moving forward: investing in research, building a really cutting-edge student experience, and ensuring we’re deeply engaged with the community and industry.”

That cutting-edge student experience doesn’t just happen in the classroom, Shrivastav said; it encompasses everything from residence hall life to extracurricular activities. He said his goal is to spend several months listening and learning before meeting with school deans to see if any tweaks or larger changes are warranted.

And none of his goals would be possible without IU’s world-class faculty and the dedicated staffers who make it all happen, he said.

“I’m just thrilled to be here, and to have such a warm welcome from everyone,” he said. “I’m excited about where we are, and even more excited about where we’re headed.”

Shrivastav came to IU from the University of Georgia, where he was vice president for instruction. In that role, he oversaw enrollment management, student success initiatives, academic affairs and instructional infrastructure, as well as student and faculty support services.

Before joining the University of Georgia, he was professor and chair of the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders and directed the Voice and Speech Laboratory at Michigan State University. The National Academy of Inventors elected him as a fellow in 2020.

Name doppelganger

Meanwhile, members of the IU community quickly realized why the new provost’s name sounded familiar: It’s identical to IU Dining Executive Director Rahul Shrivastav.

While the university has made a few functional changes to ensure the two don’t get mixed up — such as amending their email addresses to display “Provost” and “IU Dining” — IU Today asked a few lighthearted questions below intended to help you get to know each Rahul.

 

Bethany Nolan is senior communications consultant with the Office of the Vice President for Communications and Marketing. Infographic by Guneet Lalria.