Denton, Texas, USA: The University of North Texas (UNT) will name its College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics after Indian-American couple Anuradha and Vikas Sinha, following their $20 million gift to the university.
The Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics will serve as an academic hub focused on the development, application and responsible use of artificial intelligence, intelligent systems and data analytics.
The $20 million contribution will establish six permanent endowments supporting college leadership, student scholarships, endowed professorships, entrepreneurship and incubation, advanced research and emerging technologies.
According to UNT, the investment will support its broader priorities in student success, research and innovation while helping prepare graduates for a workforce increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and data-driven technologies.
The university announced the gift on September 8 as UNT continues to expand its academic and research capabilities in artificial intelligence and advanced analytics.
“Anu and I see this as an investment in what students will be able to imagine and accomplish in the years ahead,” Vikas Sinha said.
He said artificial intelligence will be one of the defining technologies of the current generation and that universities have an important role in preparing people who will shape its future. According to Sinha, the college will go beyond teaching students to use AI by preparing them to build, understand, question, govern and apply the technology responsibly.
The college will bring together programs and expertise in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, advanced data analytics, health informatics, information science, library science and learning technologies.
It will also operate as a university-wide hub for AI and analytics education and research, connecting faculty and students across disciplines through shared infrastructure, collaborative research opportunities and industry partnerships.
UNT said the interdisciplinary approach is aligned with its strategy of connecting education and research more closely with the needs of Texas employers. It will also give students opportunities to work with emerging technologies while helping businesses and communities respond to technological changes.
“Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how we work, conduct research and solve problems, and universities have an important responsibility to help shape what comes next,” UNT President Harrison Keller said.
Keller said the Sinha family's contribution will create new opportunities for students and faculty to build, study and apply emerging technologies while supporting the university's Look North: UNT 2030 strategic plan.
According to UNT, the investment is expected to strengthen interdisciplinary research and innovation, improve preparation for a changing labor market and create long-term value for North Texas and the state.
Dean Kinshuk, who leads the college, said the breadth of the contribution is significant because it supports the people, ideas and infrastructure needed to develop a major academic and research enterprise.
The college plans to organize its academic programs into two complementary divisions in coordination with the Office of the Provost.
The Division of Applied Intelligence and Informatics will focus on developing and deploying intelligent systems, with work covering artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, advanced analytics and health informatics.
The Division of Information and Learning Applications will examine how information and intelligent systems operate within human and institutional contexts, including information science, library science and learning technologies.
The college will also house the new Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Institute, which will connect AI and analytics research and education across UNT.
The institute is expected to create opportunities for interdisciplinary research, shared infrastructure, external research funding and partnerships with industry.
UNT said the institute will also strengthen its ability to compete for research funding at a time when Texas public research universities are receiving significant investment through the Texas University Fund (TUF).
As a TUF-eligible institution, UNT can combine philanthropic support with state research funding to accelerate research, attract and retain faculty and create additional opportunities for students.
For Vikas and Anuradha Sinha, the $20 million commitment builds on their longstanding relationship with UNT and their own experiences as international students in the United States.
The couple came to the U.S. from India after earning bachelor's degrees in civil engineering from Sri Venkateswara University.
Both later earned graduate degrees from Florida Atlantic University. Vikas subsequently attended Northwestern University before earning his Ph.D. from UNT in 2023.
He currently serves as vice president of the Mainframe Software Division at Broadcom and has been a member of the UNT College of Information Leadership Board since 2023.
The couple's financial support for UNT has expanded alongside their involvement with the university.
In 2024, they established the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science, along with endowments supporting scholarships, faculty, research and special initiatives.
A year later, they made another major contribution to establish the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science.
“Education has opened doors for us throughout our lives, and we want to hold those doors open for others,” Vikas Sinha said.
The Sinhas view their own experience as an example of how opportunities available to immigrants in the United States can eventually create opportunities for others.
Keller said international students contribute to universities and communities beyond the degrees they earn, including through ideas, businesses, jobs and community leadership.
The $20 million gift comes at an important time for UNT as the university works to strengthen connections between education, research and the changing workforce needs of North Texas and Texas.
UNT said the contribution also demonstrates how private philanthropy can complement public investment in research, helping create opportunities for students, advance research and develop talent for emerging industries.
The university plans to hold a celebration later this year with the Sinha family, students, faculty, university leaders and community members to mark the college's new name and highlight the opportunities created by the investment.
