Gratitude In Action: Raj And Neera Singh Make $3.5M Gift To Univ.Of Maine

ORONO, ME – Rajendra “Raj” Singh and Neera Singh, alumni of the University of Maine, have pledged $3.5 million to help Maine students and strengthen the university’s role in innovation. The gift was announced on May 13 by Jeff Mills, president and CEO of the University of Maine Foundation.

Of the total pledge, $2.2 million will go toward creating the Rajendra Singh and Neera Singh Family Scholarship. This scholarship will support students in the Maine College of Engineering and Computing. Preference will be given to students from Maine high schools who show strong academic achievement and financial need. These recipients will be known as Singh Scholars.

The remaining $1.3 million will fund the Rajendra Singh and Neera Singh Family Chair in Applied Innovation. This endowment will support a faculty member who helps shape the university’s curriculum in both traditional and emerging fields, while guiding students in turning new ideas into real-world solutions.

Neera Singh said UMaine gave them scholarships that helped them come to the United States, and that Maine has a very special place in their hearts. The Singh Chair is being established in honor of John “Vet” Vetelino, a longtime UMaine professor who played a key role in bringing graduate students from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, including Raj, to the university.

Raj Singh earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from IIT Kanpur, then completed a master’s at UMaine in 1977. He later earned a Ph.D. in wireless communications from Southern Methodist University. Neera Singh, who also graduated from IIT Kanpur, began her master’s studies at UMaine before completing her degree at Kansas State University, where Raj began his academic career.

Together, the Singhs developed software that helped quickly calculate radio tower interference, which was crucial for early cellular phone systems. They turned their research into a business, launching Lunayach Communications Consultants, and later co-founded Tecom Ventures, a private investment firm based in Miami.

For their contributions to wireless communication, both Raj and Neera Singh received honorary doctorates from UMaine in May 2024. Neera was also inducted into the Wireless History Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 2022.

Raj Singh reflected on his journey, saying he grew up in a small village in Rajasthan, India, without running water, electricity, or newspapers. But it was Maine — and the support of UMaine professors like John Vetelino and Steve Mittleman — that gave him the tools and confidence to succeed. He credited UMaine for laying the foundation that allowed him and Neera to build businesses and give back. “We will forever be grateful to Maine,” he said.