UMSL Enrollment Hits 15,122 as Ashwani Monga Set to Begin as Chancellor

Ashwani Monga has been selected as the next chancellor of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

University of Missouri President Mun Y. Choi announced the appointment on Friday. Monga will assume the role on Jan. 1, succeeding interim chancellor Chris Spilling. Spilling has held the post since July, following the departure of Kristin Sobolik in February. Sobolik had served as chancellor since 2020.

Monga currently serves as executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer for the University System of Georgia. In that capacity, he oversees academic program approvals, accreditation processes, athletic compliance, and international education initiatives. He also holds a professorship in marketing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Choi cited Monga’s expertise in marketing and higher education administration as key factors in the selection.

During the 2024-25 academic year, Monga acted as interim president of the University of West Georgia. Choi stated that Monga set new records for enrollment and student retention at that institution. He also guided the school through its second-best year for fundraising. Before joining the Georgia system, Monga spent eight years at Rutgers University-Newark as executive vice chancellor and provost. His earlier career included marketing professorships at the University of South Carolina and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Choi emphasized Monga’s focus on institutional growth in his announcement. “He understands the importance of increasing enrollment and graduation rates as well as industry partnership and philanthropy at UMSL,” Choi said. The appointment arrives amid fluctuating student numbers at UMSL. Enrollment reached 15,122 students in 2025. That figure represents a decline from 16,471 students in 2018. It also marks a recovery from 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic caused enrollment to drop to 13,878.