Aneil Mishra had his own life transformed by education and wanted to pay it forward to others, according to his wife, Karen Mishra.
“He just always wanted to be in an atmosphere where he was learning. He loved helping students be their best,” Karen Mishra said. “That was really his joy in life.”
Aneil Mishra, who was the dean of the College of Business & Economics at Towson University, died suddenly on Sunday. He was 62.
Towson University announced his death in a message to the campus signed by its president, Mark Ginsberg, and provost, Melanie Perreault.
“We keep in our hearts those most directly impacted — Aneil’s family, friends, colleagues and everyone he has touched throughout his illustrious career and incredible life,” they wrote.
Karen and Aneil Mishra met when they were children in Michigan and attended middle school, church and high school together. They married in 1985 and have two children, Maggie, 29, and Jack, 26.
The family enjoyed trips to the beach, Karen Mishra said, especially to Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
“Your only options are walking, bike riding, sitting on the beach reading a book. It’s very limited,” she said. “For people who are just working and thinking all the time, it’s nice to just have this complete brain break and enjoy nature.”
The Mishras wrote textbooks and popular press books together on topics including trust and leadership. Aneil Mishra always wanted to be an academic, Karen Mishra said — she came to academia later in life.
Her husband had a deep love of books, movies and their dog, a Yorkie mix named Kona, Karen Mishra said.
“I never thought I was going to be one of those dog people, but I am a dog person now. Kona has completely taken over our family but in a good way,” Aneil Mishra told Towson University News in August 2023.
He read lots of history books and often would read more than one book at a time. A recent, beloved Christmas gift to Aneil and their daughter, Maggie, was a VIP ticket to a showing of “The Princess Bride” at The Lyric in Baltimore, which included a chance to meet actor Cary Elwes.
“That was one of his favorite movies; that was a really special thing they got to do together,” Karen Mishra said.
Aneil Mishra began his appointment as dean of Towson University’s business college just over a year ago, on July 5, 2023. Previously, he was dean of the School of Management at the University of Michigan-Flint.
At Towson University, his colleagues remember Aneil Mishra as an excellent leader, a great listener and someone who was devoted to student success.
Judy Harris, associate dean of the business college, said Aneil Mishra would talk about how gratifying it was to create new opportunities for students to succeed, whether that be through mentorship or helping match them to an internship.
A student ambassador program started in the business college over the last year was “dear to his heart,” Harris said. Not only would the students get work experience and scholarship money for being ambassadors at events for the college, but Aneil Mishra would share leadership training and expertise with the students.
“He was also dedicated to faculty and staff. His research area was trustworthy leadership; he wanted to apply that in practice,” Harris said. “But it was the students who were his first love.”
Bart Debicki, chair of the Department of Management in Towson’s business college, said Aneil Mishra was “one of the best bosses” he’d ever had.
“I would say that he was a very thoughtful leader. He was a good listener. And he always was able to balance out his own take on things, his own way of leading” with people who had more institutional knowledge, Debicki said.
Aneil Mishra wanted education to be accessible and useful, to make sure schools were providing the right tools to students to be prepared for whatever career they chose, Karen Mishra said.
“He really cared about students, but he really cared about the future of higher education.”
