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Rutgers University-New Brunswick will have a new chancellor, starting this summer, the college announced Thursday.Rutgers University-New Brunswick will have a new chancellor, starting this summer, the college announced Thursday.

Debasish “Deba” Dutta will join Rutgers starting July 1. He comes from Purdue University, where he is provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity, as well as a professor of mechanical engineering.

Dutta succeeds Richard Edwards, who is returning to the faculty after serving as chancellor of the New Brunswick school since 2014.

“Dr. Dutta will be an inspiring, collaborative leader and a powerful voice for Rutgers University-New Brunswick at a pivotal time in its history,” President Robert Barchi said in a prepared statement. “He comes here with impeccable academic credentials, solid administrative leadership and deep experience at three Big Ten institutions.

“We also welcome and applaud Deba’s commitment to diversity. He has a proven track record of success in building diverse, inclusive communities, as he has shown in his efforts as Purdue’s chief diversity officer and at Illinois, where he served as chancellor’s adviser on diversity.”

In his new Rutgers role, Dutta will oversee the largest of the university’s three major campuses. The New Brunswick campus has more than 50,000 students, 4,000 faculty, 12 degree-granting schools, nine academic research centers, four administrative units, the Honors College, Douglass Residential College and the Zimmerli Art Museum.

“I am tremendously excited to bring the skills I have developed at Purdue, Illinois and Michigan to lead Rutgers University-New Brunswick,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff and students to drive innovation and build a new era of success that will elevate the flagship of Rutgers University to even greater national prominence.”

Dutta was chosen after a nationwide search. In addition to Purdue, in West Lafayette, Indiana, his career has also included stops at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.