Florida Couple Gift $250K To Help Establish Chair

PORT ORANGE, FL – A $250,000 gift from Ramesh and Neena Chopra will bring University of Central Florida another step closer to its goal of establishing the Indian Community Endowed Chair for The India Center, a press release said.

In Fall 2022, over 3,000 students from 149 countries enrolled at UCF. Students from India represented the second-largest group of international students with 460 individuals enrolled.

Chopra’s gift will be amplified by a $50,000 match from the university through the UCF Challenge. This strategic initiative provides matching funding from the transformational $40 million gift made in 2021 by philanthropist Mackenzie Scott.

“It is our hope that our gift will help The India Center create a strong foundation for ongoing research and teaching about India, a diverse and dynamic culture that is both ancient and modern,” said Ramesh Chopra.

Ramesh and Neena Chopra have both practiced medicine in Florida for over 40 years and live in Port Orange. The couple first moved to Florida in 1982 from Minneapolis. They are active in the Indian American community in Central Florida and helped establish CAPI, a network of Indian American medical professionals who fundraise and pool resources to support health and wellness initiatives, professional growth, and leadership development. The couple has a son and daughter, who are both physicians and four grandchildren.

The mission of The India Center at UCF is to broaden the awareness and understanding of India’s role in the world today. The center is housed in the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs in the College of Sciences. Established in 2012, the center hosts symposia and events of interest to the regional Indian American community and to UCF students and faculty interested in India and its impact in Florida, the nation and beyond. The center has supported the work of UCF scholars and students in India and has received a variety of delegations from India.

The India Center at UCF develops India-U.S. partnerships among universities, companies, governmental, cultural, and other organizations to address issues and opportunities important to both India and the U.S. in areas ranging across technology, politics, security, medicine and more. UCF and The India Center have established partnerships with eight educational institutions in India for student and faculty collaborations and joint graduate degree programs with two colleges in India.