(Commonwealth Union)_The Tandon School of Engineering, which was named after Indian-American philanthropists Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon, will receive a whopping $1 billion investment from New York University over the next two decades to upgrade its ranking. The donation, which was announced by NYU President Andrew Hamilton, is also intended to enhance New York City’s reputation as a technological center. According to the statement from the university, the institution has already bought a 350,000-square-foot facility close to Tandon School.
The acquisition of the new building will support the ongoing $1 billion investment in Tandon to greatly enhance engineering at NYU by hiring 40 new full-time tenure-track professors, supporting pioneering research, and expanding and upgrading its Downtown Brooklyn site. The donation will drive basic and applied research in critical inter-disciplinary areas of global significance, including secure wireless ecosystems and supply chains, health engineering, sustainable engineering, and data science to enhance the human condition.
Chandrika Tandon and her husband Ranjan also gave $100 million to the institution in 2015. The benefactor also attended the event where the announcement was made. Chandrika tweeted, “Continuing the stunning upward trajectory! So thrilling!” According to the official NYU Tandon Twitter account, Chandrika said: “Problems don’t require an engineering solution, they require a multidisciplinary solution”. According to the media, the investment comprises $600 million that was originally budgeted for the school and an extra $400 million in new funding. It was also reported that the 10-story 3 MetroTech Center facility was bought in September.
The Tandons’ donation of $100 million was used to upgrade laboratories and hire professors with expertise in robotics, health, and data science. In 2015, on announcing the donation, Chandrika Tandon stated: “We feel privileged to be able to participate in the transformation that is happening at NYU and at the School of Engineering. As a trustee of NYU, I have had a front row seat to the energy and excitement of the Global Network University and the scale of possibility it presents.” The investment reportedly increased Tandon School’s rank in the US News & World Report rating from 82 in 2006 to 33 this year. Grammy-nominated artist Tandon is also an avid proponent of technology.
