Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Donate $20 Million To Establish New AI College

DENTON, TX – A couple has donated $20 million to the University of North Texas, which will name a new college focused on artificial intelligence and advanced analytics after them.

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 university said September 8.

The gift will establish six permanent endowments supporting college leadership, student scholarships, professorships, entrepreneurship and incubation, advanced research and emerging technologies.

“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.

Sinha said the college would go beyond teaching students how to use AI. “It will prepare them to build it, understand it, question it, govern it and apply it responsibly — developing both the builders and the stewards of intelligent systems.”

The college plans to have two academic divisions. The Division of Applied Intelligence and Informatics will focus on building and deploying intelligent systems, while the Division of Information and Learning Applications will study how information and intelligent systems work in human and institutional settings.

The Sinhas came to the United States from India after both earned bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering from Sri Venkateswara University. Both later earned graduate degrees from Florida Atlantic University.

Vikas Sinha later studied at Northwestern University before earning a PhD in information science from the University of North Texas in 2023. He is vice president of the Mainframe Software Division at Broadcom and has served on the UNT College of Information Leadership Board since 2023.

“Education has opened doors for us throughout our lives, and we want to hold those doors open for others,” Vikas Sinha said.

Reflecting on his experience as an international student, Sinha said, “For us, this gift is about paying that opportunity forward and recognizing that immigrants don’t simply participate in the American dream — they help build it.”

The donation builds on the Sinhas’ earlier support for UNT. In 2024, they helped establish the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science and related endowments. A year later, they made another major gift to create the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science.

UNT is a public research university in Denton, north of Dallas. Founded in 1890, it is part of the University of North Texas System. (IANS)