Caltech Alumni Establish Fund To Honor Prof Chandy’s Legacy Of Teaching Excellence
CAPTION: Seated: Jean Chandy, Mani Chandy
India-West Staff Reporter
PASADENA, CA – Professor K. Mani Chandy, the Simon Ramo Professor of Computer Science, Emeritus, has long been a pillar of the Caltech community, earning the admiration and respect of both colleagues and students for his intellectual contributions and unwavering dedication to education. Now, alumni have rallied to honor his years of service by creating an endowed fund that will support future generations of students and faculty in the Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences.
With contributions exceeding $100,000 from Institute alumni and friends, the newly established Professor K. Mani Chandy Innovations in Education Fund aims to support CMS’s teaching faculty, teaching assistants, and administrative staff. The fund will ensure that the department’s educational mission continues to thrive, empowering those who, like Chandy, are critical to the academic success of Caltech students.
“Mani has been, in many ways, the soul of the department for many years,” says Chris Umans, professor of computer science and Executive Officer for Computing and Mathematical Sciences. “He has a humble, unassuming nature and is a very kind and generous person both intellectually and in his interactions with people, so we wanted to recognize what he had done for the department and create a legacy that would honor him.”
The idea for the fund was championed by Eve Schooler (MS ’96, PhD ’01), a former student of Chandy’s, who was moved by the outpouring of gratitude from alumni. “It was heartwarming to hear how much gratitude and love there is for Mani amongst the many students whose lives he has touched,” Schooler reflects. “His wisdom has been a rare gift to his students, the happy recipients of his thoughtfulness, patience, and encouragement.”
For Chandy, who has been a fixture of Caltech’s computer science department for decades, the honor is deeply meaningful. He has twice been awarded the Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology (ASCIT) Teaching Award—once in 2004 and again in 2008. “It has been a gift to be able to get to know my students as individuals,” says Chandy. “Teaching is not just communicating material but listening and getting to know somebody—and watching their life trajectory and being a part of that trajectory.”
