Dr. Mukul Bhalla, University Dean for General Education

Dr. Mukul Bhalla has been with AIU since May 2017 and serves as the University Dean of General Education. As part of the academic leadership team at AIU, she coordinates curriculum and instruction for the General Education program. She also collaborates with other functional areas of the university to ensure smooth implementation of all general education initiatives both from an academic and operational perspective.

Originally from India, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Political Science from Lucknow University (India), and a master’s and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Virginia. She has held faculty appointments at institutions serving traditional and non-traditional students, campus-based and online. Over the last 15 years, she has held positions of increasing responsibility in education administration, serving as department chair, undergraduate dean, vice-president of academic affairs and campus administrator.

She has published and presented extensively in the areas of spatial perception, body image, and the pedagogy of teaching and assessment. She is a member of the Eastern Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, and the Association for Psychological Science and is active in the American Psychological Association’s working group on Undergraduate Education in Psychology. As part of that group, she has published two book chapters entitled “Desired Outcomes of an Undergraduate Education in Psychology” (2009) and “Addressing the Needs of Nontraditional Students in Psychology (2014).

Her favorite quote on education comes from Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanese-American writer, poet artist and philosopher: The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind. Hence her primary goal as an educator whether in front of students as an instructor or as a dean designing curriculum is to instill a love of learning in all students.

Outside of AIU, Dr. Bhalla volunteers with Cornerstones, a nonprofit that promotes self-sufficiency by providing support and advocacy for those in need of food, shelter, and other human services. She speaks English, Hindi, and Urdu. In her free time, Dr. Bhalla loves to cook, read, and travel.