Guru Ghosh has served as the vice president for outreach and international affairs at Virginia Tech since 2013. He holds a Ph.D. in educational policy, planning, and leadership from the College of William and Mary, a master's degree in student personnel administration in higher education from Ball State University, and a bachelor's degree in international business from Marycrest College.

He has worked across many areas of higher education, including student affairs, international affairs, and engagement.

 “Being a part of a community that is focused on the betterment of themselves, humanity, and society has been the crown jewel of my last three and a half decades, both as a student and as an administrator,” Ghosh said.

1. What is your favorite part of working at Virginia Tech?

This is the largest institution I've ever worked for, but it's felt like the most community-oriented institution. People look out for one another. We collaborate. We cooperate. We don't compete.

My favorite part of my career here has been seeing how hard we strive, as a university community, to make Virginia Tech a better institution. We are not an institution that rests on its laurels.

2. What projects are you currently working on?

We recently established an academic semester program for undergraduate students to study abroad in Chile, a program that has been in development for two years. 

At the same time, we are adjusting to significant changes in the federal landscape for international work. The dismantling of USAID, which had been an important source of global development funding for Virginia Tech, has been difficult. Changes in rules and regulations around employment-based opportunities for faculty and staff to come and work in the U.S. have been challenging as well.

Those realities have sharpened our focus on making Outreach and International Affairs more resilient. We want to ensure our programs and people are not dependent on a single source of funding. Managing a large, complex, and geographically dispersed organization is always a challenge, but it is also work I value deeply.

I am focused on working with faculty to develop a global innovation network of partnerships around the world, supporting the directors of our departments in Outreach and International Affairs, and ensuring they have the tools and resources they need to be successful. 

In short, I am focused on program development, personnel management, and ensuring the places where we work continue to elevate and expand the mission of our university.

3. Could you share some thoughts on CECE’s growth and development since it became a center five years ago?  

I think the best days of CECE are ahead of us.

CECE is deploying its assets and talents to help institutions and communities around the commonwealth grow. It is also helping address complex challenges facing Virginia, including workforce development, eldercare, childcare, and other issues that require universities, government, and industry to work together.

4. Do you have a favorite CECE-related moment or memory from the last five years?

The shining moment for me was getting CECE approved by University Council during the pandemic.

John Provo and I presented to university leadership, answered questions from the university community, and then received a unanimous vote to launch the center. That was a highlight of the last five years. 

5. What issues and types of projects would you like CECE to explore in the future?

I am interested in how the private sector, the public sector, and higher education can come together to improve healthcare in Southwest Virginia, both by attracting quality professionals to work in our communities and encouraging them to build a permanent presence in the region.

Having qualified doctors, medical professionals, and cutting-edge medical facilities in our communities is critical. In the next two to three years, I hope CECE can play an important role in informing how the medical and allied health communities attract and retain talent in our region.

6. What is the best advice you have ever received?

Never mistake excitement for accomplishment, especially when it comes to managing and leading people. 

Always tell the truth — but not all of the truth. 

Remember that other people know something, too. It’s important to be humble.

7. What is a book you would recommend?

“Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom. The book recounts weekly conversations between the author and a former professor, Morrie Schwartz, who was in the final stage of ALS.

8. What is the most memorable place you have ever visited?

In 2006, I visited Aleppo, Syria, with my colleagues from the College of William & Mary. This was at a time when Syria was in a very different condition than it is today. 

This trip gave me a powerful sense of Aleppo’s importance in human history. As part of the Silk Road, Aleppo connected people of different races and religions through the shared goals of expanding and growing trade. But what stayed with me most was the way the city brought people together.

In 2006, I saw Muslims, Christians, Jews, and people of other faiths living in peace and harmony in a broadly troubled region. The sense of community and hospitality shown by the people of Aleppo renewed my faith in humanity.

The people of Syria gave me hope. I hope that one day the United States, Syria, and all the nations in the Middle East can live in amity, partnership, collaboration, and cooperation, much like the many nations that were involved in World War II are doing today.