Dr. Ramesh Sharda: 'academic entrepreneur'

A return to the classroom

After providing significant leadership as the Spears Business vice dean for graduate programs and research, Dr. Ramesh Sharda is choosing to return to faculty in July. Sharda has spent 11-plus years as vice dean, but his impact on OSU began much earlier.

Sharda taught his first OSU business course in fall 1980. Forty-five years later, Spears Business is celebrating his achievements as vice dean and the career path that led him here.

Read his story

Strengthening graduate programs

With a team effort, Sharda helped lift OSU’s MBA program to new heights, and national rankings show it. Recently, the full-time MBA climbed 18 spots to No. 58 nationally. The No. 11 online MBA has risen steadily over the past six years, while the master's in business analytics and data science program is No. 2 nationally.

Rankings

'An academic entrepreneur'

Sharda has influenced generations of researchers. Through decades of change, he teaches his students how to conduct thorough, relevant research with help from cutting-edge technologies of the time — from portable computers to mobile apps to generative AI.

Sharda has co-authored textbooks and received many awards for his groundbreaking scholarship. He says he loves being "an academic entrepreneur," and his passion for research impacts all eight Spears Business academic units.

Spears Research

Providing mentorship

“Dr. Sharda believed in me before I believed in myself, and that made all the difference. One of the most pivotal moments in my journey was when he made me the database administrator for a major research project. At the time, I barely knew anything about databases, and I was terrified. But he simply said, ‘It’s all right — I know you’ll figure it out. And if you need help, I’m here.’

"That trust, that calm confidence, pushed me to rise to the challenge. I went from a novice to a subject matter expert in databases, and that experience directly led to my first full-time job.” -Balaji Dhamodharan, MS in MIS graduate, global software analytics leader at AMD

Decades of innovation

1980: Dr. Ramesh Sharda begins his Spears Business career teaching an undergraduate operations management course.

1981: Sharda teaches his first OSU MBA class.

1992: Sharda is promoted to academic coordinator of the MBA program, serving until 1995.

1995: Sharda leads the official launch of the master’s in telecommunications management program.

2012: Spears Business officially launches its Ph.D. in Business for Executives with Sharda as the founding co-director.

2013: Sharda is named interim vice dean for graduate programs. The interim tag is soon dropped, and he also presides over Spears Business research.

2019: Sharda helps Spears Business combine two graduate programs to form the MS BAnDS degree.

2024: OSU’s DBA program debuts with Sharda’s leadership.

2025: Sharda decides to return to MSIS faculty with Dr. Brij Thapa succeeding him as vice dean.