5 Things: Dr. Salil Khetani

Dr. Salil Khetani is originally from Mumbai, India. He worked in sales and marketing for about seven years and got his MBA while working in the industry as well. He then moved to Salt Lake City and studied for his Ph.D. in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing. As the assistant professor of Marketing at Heidelberg, he has come a long way from home.

Why Heidelberg?

During Salil’s first interview on campus, he already had a good feeling about Heidelberg. He liked that the faculty seemed to be very encouraging of each other and were all very friendly. When Salil interviewed with the Provost and President, he felt very comfortable. He explained how his colleagues give him great tips and are always very helpful considering he is new to teaching. 

Why teaching?

Salil did not initially think about becoming a college professor. Before getting his Ph.D. at the University of Utah, he was told by his peers that he did well talking in front of people and they suggested teaching as a profession. Salil also talked about having patience, which is a great quality to have as a professor. He also likes how flexible his schedule can be as a college professor. 

Involvement at Heidelberg

As a college professor, there are a lot of options to get involved on campus. Salil is a faculty advisor for Berg Enactus. He enjoys it very much and is very big on helping out the community. Right now, his team is working with local organizations to study and offer recommendations to address the homelessness issue locally and advocating for museums in Tiffin.

Consumer research

Salil has done a great amount of research in his field and has found some interesting finds. He researched different Taboo products and why consumers are so much more intrigued by them. He wanted to get into the minds of the customer and understand why they are attracted to these Taboo products and what really makes them tick.

Comedy Central

Besides being a professor at Heidelberg, Salil also has a fun hobby. He likes to perform stand-up comedy. It started out as just a hobby while living in Mumbai and got just a little more serious in Salt Lake City. He started doing open mic shows quite a bit and decided it was a fun thing to do outside of his main work. Over spring break, he is traveling back to Salt Lake City and is performing at a show.

-- compiled by Tarin Yalich, ‘20