USA (Commonwealth Union)_ Indian Americans have made significant contributions across various fields, establishing themselves as successful entrepreneurs, doctors, influential lawyers, and CEOs of multinational companies. Moreover, they have also been actively involved in philanthropic endeavors, donating much-needed funds for non-profit social welfare projects. A recent report by the charitable organization Indiaspora highlighted the substantial donations made by people of Indian origin to universities in the United States. Accordingly, nearly 50 individuals have collectively donated $1.2 billion (nearly Rs. 10,000 crore) to support higher education in American universities. Further, Indian Americans have made their mark not only in academia but also in numerous other sectors. They excel in fields such as information technology, science and technology, medicine, and politics. Let’s take a look at some of the notable NRI donors who have made significant contributions to these universities.
Chandrika Tandon
Chandrika Tandon, an Indian American entrepreneur and musician who graduated from IIM Ahmedabad, donated $100 million to support engineering education research activities at New York University.
Mukund Padmanabhan
Mukund Padmanabhan, an Indian-American scientist who holds a BS in Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering from IIT Kharagpur, donated $2.5 million to the University of California to establish an advanced engineering laboratory.
Kiran & Pallavi Patel
Kiran & Pallavi Patel, a couple known for their philanthropy, made a record donation of $30.5 million to the University of Florida in 2017.
Vin (Vinod) Gupta
Vin (Vinod) Gupta, an Indian American businessman and a graduate of IIT-Kharagpur, donated $2 million to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, to start a course in small business management.
Lakshmi Mittal
Lakshmi Mittal, the UK-based CEO of Iron and Executive Chairman of ArcelorMittal, along with his family, contributed $5 million to Harvard University in 2017. The donation established the Mittal Institute, which focuses on research to study major issues in South Asia and its neighboring nations.
Gururaj Deshpande
Gururaj Deshpande, an Indian American businessman and venture capitalist who graduated from IIT-Madras, donated $2.5 million to the University of New Brunswick in Canada. This contribution helped launch the Bond-Deshpande Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Mani L. Bhowmik
Mani L. Bhowmik, a physicist known for his work at the University of California, Los Angeles, established the Institute for Theoretical Physics and donated nearly $11 million in 2016 to promote theoretical physics research at UCLA.
Sumir Chadha
Sumir Chadha, a Princeton alumnus, played a crucial role in establishing the M.S. Chadha Center for Global India at Princeton University in 2018. The center gathers scholars and students from various disciplines to explore modern India, including its economy, politics, and culture.
Madan Lal Sobti Chair
In 2003, Indian American alumni, parents, and friends of Penn Arts and Sciences, including P.C. Chatterjee, Raman Kapur, Sreedhar Menon, Sunil Mittal, Dalip Pathak, Rajiv Sobti, and Sanjiv Sobti, established the Madan Lal Sobti Chair at the University of Pennsylvania for the study of contemporary India.
Monte Ahuja
Monte Ahuja, a graduate of Ohio State University, founder of Transtar Industries in Cleveland and chairman and CEO of MURA Holdings, contributed $3.5 million to the university to encourage student achievement and establish the Monte Ahuja endowed dean’s chair.
The late Vijay Sanghvi
The late Vijay Sanghvi donated $2 million to sponsor the endowed chair in cardiac imaging at the University of Cincinnati.
Sunil Puri
Sunil Puri, a graduate of Rockford University and a top business leader, made several donations totaling $6 million to his university.
Satish and Yasmin Gupta
Satish and Yasmin Gupta together contributed $12 million to the University of Texas at Dallas, which was the place where they fell in love and their alma mater, for the construction of a new building for the business school.
The late Mohinder Sambhi
The late Mohinder Sambhi donated $1 million to UCLA to establish the endowed chair in Indian music, which was named after his late wife, Mohindar Brar Sambhi.
The Sikand family
The Sikand family donated $1 million to California State University, Los Angeles, to establish a faculty endowment for research in urban sustainability in memory of Gunjit Sikand, a former civil engineering professor who served at the university.
Several other generous Indian Americans have also made significant contributions to universities. These philanthropic contributions by global Indians to universities not only support education and research but also foster greater cultural exchange and collaboration between India and the United States.
