At Harvard University, protests supporting Palestine and opposing Israel have incensed the Trump administration to no end. The atmosphere on campus, combined with a defiance of presidential directives, has led to an aggressive stance from the government against the institution. After halting $2 billion in funding last month, an order has now closed Harvard's doors to international students.
The Trump administration has mandated that nearly 7,000 international students at Harvard must transfer to other schools or lose their legal status in the U.S. This decision significantly impacts the numerous Indian students studying in America, disregarding that Indian-Americans have contributed billions in donations to these educational institutions.
Anand Mahindra
Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, donated $10 million (approximately ₹83 crores) to Harvard University. The donation was for the Mahindra Humanities Center, named in his family's honor, promoting the study of humanities.
Ratan Tata
Former Chairman of Tata Group, Ratan Tata, contributed $50 million (approximately ₹415 crores) to Harvard Business School in 2010, helping to construct Tata Hall, an executive education center, marking one of the largest donations by an Indian industrialist to Harvard.
Dr. Kiran and Dr. Pallavi Patel
Cardiologist Dr. Kiran Patel and his wife, Pediatrician Dr. Pallavi Patel, via the Patel Family Foundation, donated $50 million (approximately ₹1300 crores) to Nova Southeastern University in 2017. They also gave $30.5 million to the University of South Florida for the Patel Center for Global Solutions and College of Global Sustainability, one of the largest contributions by Indian-origin individuals in the U.S., fostering medical education in Florida and India.
Gururaj Deshpande
Indian-American entrepreneur and venture capitalist, IIT-Madras alumnus Gururaj Deshpande, established the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT with a $20 million (approximately ₹166 crores) donation in 2002. With his wife Jayshree, he later donated $2.5 million to the University of New Brunswick in Canada for the Pond-Deshpande Centre.
Mani L. Bhaumik
Physicist, author, and philanthropist Mani L. Bhaumik, an IIT-Kharagpur alum, donated $11 million (approximately ₹91 crores) to UCLA in 2016 for the Mani L. Bhaumik Institute for Theoretical Physics, marking the largest donation to UCLA's physics department history, alongside an additional $3 million in 2018.
Chandrika Tandon
Indian-American businesswoman, philanthropist, and musician Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon, an IIM-Ahmedabad alum, along with husband Ranjan Tandon, donated $100 million (approximately ₹830 crores) to NYU's engineering school in 2015, which was renamed NYU Tandon School of Engineering.
Mukund Padmanabhan
Indian-American scientist, researcher, and hedge fund partner Mukund Padmanabhan, holding degrees from IIT Kharagpur and UCLA, donated $2.5 million (approximately ₹20 crores) to UCLA in 2015 for an advanced engineering lab for Integrated Microsystems, following previous $0.5 million donations.
Vin (Vinod) Gupta
Vinod Gupta, an Indian-American businessman and philanthropist, an IIT Kharagpur alum, has made substantial donations aiming to uplift educational institutions, including $2 million (approximately ₹16 crores) to the University of Nebraska's small business management program and $0.5 million for scholarships in science and engineering schools, with $1 million donated to George Washington University Law School, establishing the Ben Gupta Endowed Fund supporting JD, LLM, and other educational opportunities for students from developing countries.
